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Welcome to Diaries of a Waterwoman : Gabriella's Ocean Chronicles! Dive into my world of ocean exploration, marine conservation, and exciting underwater adventures. From spearfishing in tropical waters to discovering unique seashells, I share my passion for the ocean and the incredible experiences it offers. Join me as I explore the beauty beneath the waves, advocate for a cleaner, healthier planet, and celebrate the wonders of marine life. Let's embark on this journey together and make waves for a better future! 🌊🐠🪸
A waterborne pathogen beginning near the Atlantic Panama Canal entrance caused history's largest recorded marine animal die-off, wiping out 95-99% of Diadema antillarum populations throughout the Caribbean.
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I joined my neighbors for a beach clean up for #CoastalCleanUp day to promote global awareness about plastic pollution, and drive positive action on behalf of the world’s oceans and waterways.
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My goal is to bring awareness to conservation and empower action through art and sustainable living and .that’s why I’m stoked to be joining forces with 4ocean to help them in their mission to end the ocean plastic crisis. Their captains and crews have already recovered millions of pounds of trash and you can help pull the next one.
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Life in Shades of Blue is inspired by the sea and made for all the children of the tide. It's for the sun seekers, the sea lovers and the day dreamers. For everyone with wild hair, salty skin, sun kissed souls who have a ☼summer state of mind☼ all year round while chasing a never-ending adventure. Give back to our oceans with every purchase.
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June is Ocean Month. It’s time to shift from thinking of the ocean as a victim to seeing it as an essential part of solving global challenges. We do not have to choose between ocean protection and production. We can have both for a healthy, prosperous future.
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On #WorldOceansDay, people around our blue planet 🌍 celebrate and honor the ocean, which connects us all.
The theme this year is Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean, drives home the message that we need to combine forces across the ocean community—and beyond—in order to revitalise ocean health and restore (and protect) vital marine habitats.
I am incredibly grateful to have been introduced to freediving and spearfishing by no other than Valentine Thomas, a freediving instructor, published chef and advocate for sustainable eating, who quit her job in London to live a simple life and to spread the word about eating responsibly and following her dreams.
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‘‘The Salt Life has always come naturally to one of our newest team members, Gabriella Gerbasi. The French-Canadian native and self-proclaimed “ocean child” has been diving for as long as she can remember. She first became a PADI-certified junior diver at the age of 12, and by 14, Gabriella had a full open-water certification.’’
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We all come from the sea, but we are not all of the sea. Those of us who are, we sisters & children of the tides, we are bound by sand, salt, sea and we must return to it again and again 🧜🏼♀️🌊
I love how diving and the ocean forms bonds with people. Ocean people are my people. We still like to play just like when we were kids meeting after school. We look outside in the morning and when the weather’s nice and the water is calm, we make plans to spend time outside, no phone, no distractions. Just friends, nature and stories to tell.
Read my Interview with Salt Life on Cold Water, Warm Water, and my Mermaid Diving Bucket List
It seems with every passing year more and more people are taking up diving as a hobby, and for good reason! The ocean is absolutely breathtaking and the creatures that live below the surface are equally as fascinating. Many divers have their sights set on warmer waters such as those in Cozumel or Belize, but often forget you can also dive in colder waters.
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Join me in the @floridaspearfishing tournament. An event that allows people from all over the state of #Florida to compete! Spearfish all the time like you normally do, except now when you get a fish you can enter it to win prizes.
I’ve always felt inspired by the sea women of Jeju and the Ama divers who represent the feminine strength and resilience as a self sufficient sisterhood of diving women, mothers and grandmothers. These women are treated like heroes by the people of their island because they support their families, they fish and harvest what they eat and provide in the most natural way possible.
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I have deep passion for conservation and sustainability. In this episode of Above and Below: a Salt Life podcast, Kieran & I discuss easy ways to live an environmentally conscious life, while protecting the ocean and its inhabitants.
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting me! :)
I started wearing Salt Life apparel when I first got into spearfishing and needed apparel to protect me from the sun while on my dive adventures and I officially joined the Salt Life team in February 2022.
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting me! :)
I recently shared a video on TikTok showing how I was taught to prepare a new dive mask to make sure it doesn’t fog while diving. It got so many reactions and comments because a lot of people never new you had to burn your dive mask. New masks require pre-treatment before you dive with them because they leave the factory with an invisible protective film coating the tempered-glass lenses. Left untreated, a mask is prone to fogging.
Many divers are adamant that using fire to burn the silicone coating off the lenses is the most effective way to pre-treat your mask. It may seem counter-intuitive to your shiny new mask but when done correctly, it can be very effective.
Here are the steps to prepare your mask like I did in the video:
Find a sheltered area at the dive site or on the boat if you’re outside. Don’t position yourself on a windy dive deck where the flame will dance in the wind. You must be precise to make sure you don’t damage the mask’s skirt and frame.
Try to use a lighter that has a mechanism at sufficient distance from the flame. Unlike using it for a second to light a cigarette, you’ll need to keep the flame ignited for at least several seconds and you don’t want to burn your fingers or the mask’s skirt.
An ideal tool is a wand-style lighter for candles or barbecue grills that’s got a longer stem and keeps your fingers far away from the flame. If you’ve got one at home, burn your new mask before your trip.
Hold the lighter’s flame close to the inside of the lens, but not directly in contact with it. Begin at approximately 1.5 to 2 inches (35-50 mm) away from the surface.
Gently move the flame around the center of the lens in a continuous motion. The intense heat from the flame will make the mask fog and blacken slightly, but you will be able to see the silicone burn away and leave a clear area. When moving the flame closer to the frame be extremely careful not to get too close to the edge or you may burn or deform the skirt.
When you’re done, remember that the lenses will be hot. Put the mask down on a safe surface where it will remain untouched for 2-3 minutes. Wipe any soot away using a tissue or cloth. Make sure to wipe the soot away from the skirt without smearing it, especially if you have a clear or pale skirt. Once the mask is completely cool, rinse it with water to remove any remaining residue.
After using the lighter, I used some toothpaste with no microbeads.
Gently squeeze a small, pea-sized blob of toothpaste into the center of each lens on the inside.
Firmly rub the toothpaste around the inside of the lenses with the tip of your finger until you’ve worked the paste into all parts of the lens. In contrast to the burning method, there is no danger in going right to the edge of the lenses where they meet the skirt.
When done, put a small amount of water into the mask to cover the lenses.
Thoroughly rinse your mask and repeat two or three more times. The greater the repetition, the less chance you’ll have a foggy mask or condensation on your initial dives.
Find everything you need for your next diving adventure in my Amazon List of essentials.
So let me know in the comments on the video, do you burn the lense of your new dive masks? If not, how do you prepare it?
Read my previous blog post about my favorite gear to either start or upgrade!
The following list is for all the dive babes and spearfishing aficionados. Whether you’re already a scuba diver that wants to get into freediving or a freediver that wants to start spearfishing, here are a few essentials to get you started or to upgrade your equipment.
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I woke in Pavones, known as a surfer's haven, and got ready to go diving. On our way to the boat CJ picked some flowers and that immediately put a smile on my face. There’s just something about wearing flowers in my hair that makes me feel like a real island / coconut girl. I mean it was a Monday morning and I was wearing a bikini on a remote beach in Costa Rica with flowers in my hair next to the jungle. It felt pretty amazing.
We were on the boat for a while before getting to our first location of the day. On the way there, we saw a pod of dolphins swimming right next to us. For those who know me, I love dolphins and the symbolism associated with this creature. Dolphins have been a symbol of protection and good luck since Ancient times. To encounter a dolphin at sea has throughout the ages in cultures around the world been considered a good omen and a great symbol of good luck. The Dolphin is an emblem of living our true purpose of living a creative life, filled with joy and fulfillment - living a life on purpose and contributing to the greater good of all. Needless to say that I felt pretty lucky and aligned in that moment.
A few minutes later, we were putting our wetsuits on and getting our dive gear ready when our captain noticed a humback whale swimming right next to our boat!!! I don’t think I ever had the chance to be so close to one of these giants. We saw the whale swim up and down, coming up for air a few times before finally diving into the depths.
CJ then got in the water, saw this monster cubera snapper and stoned it. I took some underwater pictures of him and listened to him tell the story of what happened below the surface.
This 60 pounder would have gotten dragged him around if he didn’t hit the off button. These fish usually destroy gear and break hearts, but not this day! When he saw this fish, he knew it was going to be hard to play tug of war and keep this fish from rocking up.
He was using his @neritic_diving enclosed track reel gun, pulling the trigger just as it turned its head. He watched as the shaft entered the the head of this animal, immediately sinking without twitching.
We then jumped in the water for a quick mermaid shoot and then headed back home while seeing more dolphins swim by. It’s like they were escorting us back safely.
The day couldn’t have been any better! The view was amazing, the weather was perfect and I was with my person enjoying the ocean.
Last November I had the opportunity to go on a spearfishing expedition with Neritic Diving while staying on a liveabord in Baja California Sur.
What followed was just magical, epic views, blue water, tons of fish, fire sunsets and delicious food. I even got the chance to go spearfishing and swim with sea lions.
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My new hero! ‘‘Playing with Sharks’’ on the life of Valerie Taylor, a living legend and true pioneer in both underwater filmmaking and shark research.
I learned that most of the great environmentalists and conservationists, they all started with hunting. Because they are the only ones who were out, involved in these things, seeing firsthand the impact of what we do out of the water on marine life. Divers, surfers, fisherman and hunters are some of the best ocean advocates I’ve ever met. We want to protect what we love and share it with the rest of the world.
Valerie set the standard by being the first glamorous female to go out and have these dangerous adventures. She was a revelation to me. She was strong and she led the way.
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Nowadays, we are almost completely divorced from our food sources; it is a recognized symptom of modern life. This is one of the reasons why I like spearfishing so much. It allows me to prepare an entire meal with my own hands, breath and body.
Read MoreLast time I went to the Bahamas, I played mermaid with my friend Charyse and we made this creative underwater video with The Musician. A full-scale sculpture of a mermaid and baby grand piano hidden underwater by David Copperfield just off the coast of Rudder Cut Cay hidden about 12 to 15 feet below the surface.
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