HAPPY WORLD OCEAN DAY EVERY DAY! It would be an understatement to say I have really enjoyed celebrating World Ocean Month all June long. It's been a such pleasure sharing Beneath the Surface, Ocean Lovers' Chinese Lessons and the plight of China's pink dolphins across Michigan these past few weeks. It turns out my book qualifies in many categories for the Office of the Governor's Summer Reading Road Trip contest. I'm happy to say there are more celebrations to come this week

Happy World Ocean Day every day! Who wants to go on a trip to meet China's pink dolphins? Let's go... Enjoy meeting Bennie, one of the original co-founders of Hong Kong Dolphinwatch. Take a virtual trip to the pinkie's playground. Learn more about these endangered "sea pandas" and how you can help protect them.

Every year on June 8th, the United Nations and people all over the world celebrate the 1 body of water that sustains all life on Earth: the ocean. Although the UN calls it "oceans" we recognize the 1st principle of ocean literacy is that the Earth has one big ocean with many features. All the different names of the ocean are just for its different parts. This year's UN theme for World Ocean Day asks us to "Reimagine" our future and guardianship over the ocean. "To govern not

World Ocean Day unites millions of people, across the globe on the 8th of June (and throughout the year) to protect our blue planet. One Ocean, One Climate, One Future — Together In celebration of World Ocean Day, please join the 2026 Beneath the Surface Book Tour with author and creator of the Blue Marble Series, Carissa Welton. Inspired by her own SCUBA diving adventures and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots youth groups she was mentoring, Carissa created an ocean exploration s

Twenty years ago, I got certified to SCUBA dive on our planet's largest, ancient reef system, the Coral Reef Triangle, off the coast of Nha Trang, Vietnam. Completing my SCUBA Open Water Certification with Coco Dive Center, Nha Trang, Vitenam April 2006 Usually when you go diving, your guides will take you to all the best places. But those are getting harder to find as global warming cooks our ocean relentlessly each year. I'll never forget swimming over my 1st coral grave

April is here and the 1st week so far has been a full moon fulfilling shellebration of our blue planet -- the dearest, sweetest, life affirming, precious jewel of an enigma, Earth. The 2026 Beneath the Surface Book Tour is really starting to get going, and I was so delighted to spend the very first Jane Goodall Day at Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It's been such an honor to bring my ocean literacy program to more readers in the Tampa Bay Area, while c

Follow the 2026 Beneath the Surface book tour and let me take you to meet real-life heroes at super fun events like I.CARE's 4th Annual Trash Derby . I am offering "Virtual Postcards" on my journey, sent in the form of short videos (5 minutes or less). Each postcard will update you on my tour, as well as feature some fun facts, inspirational quotes, cool links and highlights. And if you like, I will also give you a shout out and thank you in my postcard! In shellebration of

It's time to shellebrate! Spring is a wonderful time to deepen your connection to the ocean🌞 Join me in Gainesville, Florida for the first stop of the 2026 Beneath the Surface Book Tour on Saturday, March 21st (watch the video or scroll down for more details). Please enjoy a recording of this inaugural event here . Beneath the Surface is the first novel in the Blue Marble Series, and follows 11 year old Xing Xing into the South China Sea after she discovers a special power

Help get the Beneath the Surface book tour on the road! Shello folks! Are you ready for some good news? This year I'm planning to take my ocean adventures on the road with a brand new book tour that will cross the country and help me reach hundreds of new readers, as well as their families, teachers and other community members. This three month tour will include 20 appearances in over 10 cities, leaving from my home state of Michigan and traveling all the way to the southernm

Happy 2026! Let's * shellebrate* by learning a new language: Cantonese . As you may already know, I created The Blue Marble Series to explore the inextricable connection between life in the sea and life on land. So while I've designed the "Deep Dive" activity books to help improve ocean literacy, there are also elements to help increase cultural fluency, as well. Although Cantonese is the native language where Beneath the Surface takes place, I've been focusing on Mandarin

Jane Goodall will be treasured forever as an English wordsmith. On Wednesday, October 1st, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE died peacefully, in the midst of doing what she loved: activating hope for a sustainable future and spreading her message of our inextricable relationship with nature. I was fortunate to have heard her speak just 3 weeks prior to her death, and give her a hug, along with this special gift that she inspired, that I had printed and signed. Welcoming Dr. Goodall to D

You know what the scariest thing in the sea is?? Hint: it's not sharks, not barracudas, not eels or stingrays... What's even creepier is that they're not alive..... and they never die.... In fact, just like every major ocean threat, it's a danger that comes from the land. Ghost Net Ghost Busting Is Serious Business If you said "ghost nets" -- you got it right... But, if you're like "what on Earth are ghost nets?" Well, ghost nets are abandoned fishing gear that lay "dead" in

TAKE THE BUTT CHALLENGE! Not only is this event good for your glutes, it's great for the planet!! Save the date: 7/5/25 On July 5, 2025...

​I was born and raised in Michigan, with a family history that dates back before statehood. For over a decade now, I have been gravely...

The Blue Marble Series was created out of my love for swimming in the ocean and my desire to take you all with me, to rediscover the ancient relationship between life on land and life in the sea. As part of the UNESCO Blue Thread Global Network for Ocean Literacy., it is an honor for me to explore and reveal what's hidden deep within our extraordinary blue planet. In celebration of World Ocean Day, I'm gifting the Beneath the Surface coloring book to all of my Patreon subscri

My first article for Planet Detroit got published ( read here )! I suppose it all started back in the day, when I was living in the Bay...