Meet Martyna, a wildlife enthusiast who conquered her fears, found life-changing encounters and lasting friendships through her SOSA Adventures
1. What inspired you to join a SOSA tour, and how did it align with your values or passions?
I have many passions but I could honestly say that traveling and animals are most important to me. I was inspired to join the Baja tour with the Nakawe Project after seeing some of their wildlife photos. It seemed like it would be an adventure of a lifetime, and I was right. Experiencing Baja’s wildlife was nothing short of life changing and it reminded me of my childhood dreams of working with wild animals. However, signing up for a shark diving tour in Jupiter was quite the opposite - sharks were always one of my greatest fears. But I did want to get out of my comfort zone and after the Baja tour I knew I could trust Blake and his team. I’m so glad that I did, because diving with sharks completely changed my perspective on them. The guides from Project Hiu provided us with the necessary information and safe experiences, allowing us to fall in love with this amazing species. I think every person leaving that tour felt committed to protecting sharks, including me.
2. What was the most memorable moment or wildlife encounter you experienced during your SOSA trip?
I was lucky enough to have a life changing moment on each of the tours. In Baja it was when we got permission to jump in the water with dolphins. After all day of observing them swimming right under our feet, this was a cherry on top. At that moment, I knew I had to do something with my life to be able to travel more and experience wildlife like that more often. This was one of the best days I’ve ever had.
In Jupiter, I’ll never forget swimming right up to the shark's mouth until we almost touched each other and then both of us turned away at the very last second. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Or swimming along with sharks, right above them, giving me my dream mermaid moments. Both of these tours made me realize I needed more of these moments in my life.
3. How did participating in a SOSA tour change your perspective on wildlife conservation?
Traveling with SOSA made me more aware of the daily issues everyone in wildlife conservation is facing. I always loved animals and knew that humans did a poor job protecting them but SOSA guides provided me with resources and ideas on how to be a part of the solution instead of the problem. I feel like I went from being just an animal lover to a wildlife protector.
4. What connections did you build during your SOSA tour—with other guests, local communities, or the organizations we partnered with?
I still follow the organizations I traveled with and keep educating myself on what they do. I’m actually going on another tour with Project Hiu with some of my SOSA friends I met on the previous tours. By now we’re like family - we connected over our passion for adventures and protecting wildlife, something that is not easy to find these days. I also made a decision to volunteer in Bolivia with one of SOSA’s partner organizations. I’m extremely excited to get even more involved.
5. What would you say to someone considering joining a SOSA tour for the first time?
Just do it. Don’t hesitate, don’t overthink it, just sign up for one of the tours and have one in a lifetime experience! If you pay enough attention you’ll learn lots along the way.
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