The Sea is Life
by firmm Team
Text: Sevi Golinvaux, photos : CEAR and firmm
This article is less about cetaceans and more about the sea and humans. We'll be looking at how the sea constantly connects people living on different continents. Here in Tarifa, we see this every day, as ships from all over the world pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.
As you probably know, since the beginning of humanity, humans have been nomads, constantly migrating to survive. And it was only at the end of the last ice age (around 12,000 years ago), when the climate made agriculture possible, that groups of humans began to settle down in various places. This gave rise to cities and civilisations, hierarchies with kings, pharaohs and other powerful emperors... right up to the present day.
Despite this sedentarisation, humans have continued to migrate around the world for a variety of reasons: some to facilitate world trade via caravans, like the Silk Road and the ocean shipping routes, others to get rich and find gold and raw materials elsewhere to bring back home, like the European settlers. Others to flee wars or severe climatic conditions or to find a safer land because they have been driven out of their homes, like the exiled Palestinians, Sudanese, Rohingyas, Tibetans, etc. . .. Others emigrate to improve their quality of life, like northern Europeans who come to southern Europe in search of sunshine.
Apart from intra-Schengen migration, most migrations are real adventures into the unknown. Depending on the situation, whether by land or sea, the journey is full of dangers: thirst, hunger, fatigue, climate, disease, as well as theft, attacks, imprisonment, murder, betrayal, and so on. Many never reach their destination, being killed or missing. The surviving migrants who set foot in their host country had to show courage, tenacity, physical and mental strength, willpower and audacity, among other things.
Katharina is no stranger to these qualities, as she had to demonstrate them in order to realise her dream of setting up a foundation here, as a foreigner, to protect marine mammals. So she was not unmoved by Marta's request from the CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado - Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid) to allow a group of refugees to join us on an observation trip in the strait.
And so, on the 27th of September, we had the honour of welcoming onto our boat a group of 23 survivors, now refugees in Spain. 23 young people who risked their lives on a perilous crossing from West Africa to the Canaries to escape a disaster and rebuild their lives elsewhere. This sea crossing is a traumatic experience: fear, stress for those who can't swim, panic and often death too, ... I'm sure you've already seen images of overcrowded boats in the media.
Some of them have told me that it took them a long time to find the courage to get back on a boat. Others simply didn't come. After a briefing in a mixture of French, English and Spanish, translated into Wolof and Bambara ... as well as the distribution of windbreakers, we boarded the firmm-Vision at around 10.30am for a two-hour trip.
On board, the atmosphere is nothing like it would be if we were out with a group of tourists. Obviously, the stakes are not the same: getting back on board a boat for the first time 7 or 8 months after the traumatic experience of the crossing is a challenge.
I'm their guide, but I'm also watching them... and I'm seeing a lot of friendship, a lot of pride, a lot of selfies and photos, a lot of laughter and joy, a lot of excitement and also a lot of solidarity with those who are less at ease. It's a wonderful, very human atmosphere.
As for the cetaceans, the bottlenose dolphins are numerous and very active. They offer us jumps and acrobatics... much to everyone's delight. We even saw some leaping in front of a big cargo ship. Everyone was thrilled! Then it was the pilot whales' turn. First from a distance, then Fernando's group came closer, and we watched them beside the boat. It's always a thrill to be so close to a 6-metre whale, to see its big black head sticking out of the water and its blowhole opening to let out a loud PSHHHH!!!
One of the guests proudly showed me photos of himself fishing with his colleagues. A Senegalese fisherman who's happy to be out at sea again - he's very content during the 2-hour trip! On the way back, he gives an elaborate and very precise demonstration of the gestures and movements he makes on his boat while fishing. Performed on deck, out of context, it looks like some kind of dance or martial art! We're all fascinated.
On other faces I can see concern, some eyes seem to be on maximum alert. So we joke to lighten the mood... and it works in the end. A few of them are a bit seasick, but they manage. Others stand on the bow during the return trip, visualising their new home as they sail towards it, a second time ... What are they thinking about? Their journey? Their families? Their future?
On the way back, as we passed the red Salvamento Maritimo (maritime rescue) boat at the entrance to the port, the sight of it made one of the youngsters panic a little... no doubt memories of the crossing were coming back. Immediately, 3 other guys came to reassure him and have a laugh with him. There's a real sense of solidarity between them.
After disembarking, everyone comes to hand in their windbreaker and this is also where our encounter with these survivors ends. ‘Thank you very much’. ‘It was good. ‘I'll never come back (those who were seasick)’. ‘Goodbye, thank you’ ...
They make their way back to the bus station and we embark with a new group of tourists for a regular observation trip.
It was a kind of interlude in our daily lives, here in the hyper-touristy town of Tarifa. A brief contact with another reality of the Strait of Gibraltar, so close and so far away at the same time because it is often invisible. An enriching experience. It warms my heart to be part of linking these two worlds through the sea.
