on roughly opposite ends of the pacific ocean, guam and the galápagos are as alike as we are different. our islands enjoy warm weather, warm people, and contrasting marine environments that freedivers cannot resist. for the purposes of underwater exploration, freediving is the purest and most natural way to experience the ocean. when we dive, we accept the limitations of our bodies imposed on us by the ocean and our biology. we sense we are vulnerable and in it we find the freedom, the power to explore the depths of the water and of ourselves. in the galápagos, i was able to do both and meet like-minded fellows.

upon arriving in the galápagos, i immediately connected with fellow freedivers who also happen to be galápageños, or residents of the archipelago. johan recaurte is a freediving videographer with national geographic lindblad-expeditions and a fifth generation galápageño.

as one native to another, johan said something that grabbed my attention: “you look like our people from the coast.” however, guam is nearly 15,000 km away from ecuador. johan shared that he thought we might be distantly related as there are stories of rafts drifting across the pacific and that we might share common ancestors. he saw the necklace i wore with a pendant made from a spondylus oyster shell. to my surprise, he said his people used spondylus shells as money. although we do not know if ancient chamorus, the native inhabitants of guam, used the shells as money, archeological records tell us that they were valuable and culturally significant, as our dead were buried adorned with strings or pendants of the shells.

it is always interesting for islanders to compare and contrast our cultural practices in and around the water. because it’s an unfortunately common part of the island experience to lose a friend or relative to the ocean, many of us are forbidden from going into the water as children. so, when we eventually find our way to explore the underwater world, the experience is life changing. never more than 15 minutes away from a beach while growing up on guam, i did not learn to swim until i was an adult. johan had a very different experience.

johan found his journey to the water in stages. first, he learned how to catch lobsters with his uncles. i was unsurprised to learn that we use the same techniques in our islands to catch the crustaceans. next, johan became a surfer, which naturally taught him to hold his breath: when a wave passes over your head, it is up to the ocean when you get to come back up. after college at the age of 23, johan expanded his dive training. i asked him if freediving changed anything in him and it most certainly did.

“in some ways i appreciate this place more. i… i realized that this place is so important to the world, to the planet. not only for our country, but for the planet too. because when i learned about these ocean currents [from antartica], this idea that we have an area of upwelling plankton. and also here we have so much endemic sea life, and this is an area where a lot of animals come to give birth or come to mate. so, it is something that made me think that i need to do something to help this place — to keep this place.” -johan recaurte

johan is not alone in his belief in the power of freediving to transform oneself and cultivate a deep attachment to a place. alan jacome is a third generation galápageño and the second freediver i got to connect with in the galapagos. walking through the town to meet alan was an experience in and of itself: picture a woman selling tuna between the road and the waterfront while a sea lion, marine iguanas, and several large sea birds clamber around her. i met alan through a mutual friend, jesse dubois jazzar, who is a freediving instructor-trainer. at the invitation and insistence of jesse, alan received training and became a certified freediver. he instantly loved it, pouring himself into the sport and eventually becoming a freediving instructor, too.

i asked alan if freediving changed how he saw his islands. he answered, oddly, by explaining what kinds of permits he has. “you have to have a license to become a tour guide here. by ecuadorian and local law, there are different kinds of licenses for different kinds of activities. when i started freediving, i wanted to get a license to show people our sea life in the ocean, too,” he said. after freediving around the galápagos with sharks, turtles, sealions, penguins, marine iguanas, and flying birds that swim underwater, i would feel the same. 

alan was so moved by the dual experience of his freediving training and underwater exploration that he immediately wanted to share it with others as part of his profession and pride as a galápageño. freediving has that effect.           

it is difficult to explain and understand freediving without experiencing it properly. scuba diving is not quite an apt comparison. because we intentionally pause breathing and because we do not rely on a tank, every moment underwater is more profound. our land-dwelling humanity and presence in the ocean are called into question, while at the same time we feel a deeper connection with our planet.

we simultaneously feel the greatest sense of belonging in the present as well as returning to our evolutionary home from before any animal had a foot to set on land. the deeper you go, the more pressure there is. this can be crushing if you are not ready for it. if you are, it feels like the ocean is giving you a hug and welcoming you to its embrace.

panamic cushion star.

about photo

farron taijeron

a mexican hogfish.

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farron taijeron

taijeron observes an anemone.

about photo

farron taijeron

galápagos penguins dart back and forth.

about photo

farron taijeron

taijeron observes a school of galápagos grunt.

about photo

farron taijeron

taijeron swims with a curious sea lion.

about photo

farron taijeron

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editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made these series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. we thank lindblad expeditions for their support of our project.

]]> //m.getitdoneaz.com/story/guam-extreme-clean-up-crew/ tue, 18 mar 2025 17:32:33 +0000 //m.getitdoneaz.com/?p=47033 the guam extreme cleanup crew leverages both the skills and reputations of divers, climbers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds to make it cool to care. for historical and contemporary reasons, littering and illegal dumping remain a global problem and guam is no exception.

but how can you clean up a hiking trail ravaged after a typhoon? or remove a 1,000lb compressor from the seafloor? or a 1-ton derelict boat that washed up on a beach? these are extreme problems that need extreme solutions and extreme people to see them through. spoiler alert: we’re those people. we do cleanups few others can and show that it is cool to care about our environment.

check out the full story below!

]]> //m.getitdoneaz.com/story/wildfires-in-guam/ thu, 13 feb 2025 17:23:47 +0000 //m.getitdoneaz.com/?p=45770

wildfires are an unfortunate and unnecessary part of life on guam. as all wildfires on guam are human-caused, the damage done to the environment and community is avoidable. farron “theguamguy” taijeron shows what wildfire response looks like and how it negatively impacts peoples’ lives.

brown tree snakes are an invasive species on guam which have caused near total local extinctions of several native bird species. one bird species, the ko’ko’, nearly went extinct in the 1980s was brought into captivity. starting in 2010, some ko’ko’s were released on the small nearby island of dåno that was free of snakes… until it wasn’t.

in an effort to improve management of brown tree snakes, farron “theguamguy” taijeron explores the swimming capabilities of brown tree snakes and the possibility they could have swum to the nearby island.

giant clams are iconic animals on the corals reefs and in some pacific islands. they also play an important role in food security and cultural practices for the people of guam.

due to climate change and outside influences, giant clam populations have been declining around the pacific. in response, local communities and governments have been working together and across borders to restore their numbers.

earlier this year, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration put forward a proposal to update the status of giant clams under the endangered species act and increase federal protections. however, many local researchers and community members oppose this, as they believe such projects would make local restoration initiatives and cultural practices more difficult, if not impossible. this story follows indigenous scientist frank roberto’s project in giant clam restoration on guam and his response to the proposal within his community.

on the island of guam student and conservationist, farron “theguamguy” taijeron, works to break down barriers to getting involved in the field. farron uses his reach and adventure experience to recruit freedivers, scuba divers, hikers, rock climbers, drone pilots, and almost anyone with a special interest to use their time outdoors to both better their health and the health of the planet.

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