About Us
We Are Water is a transformative initiative that interweaves ocean conservation, marine stewardship, holistic well-being, and personal growth. Through immersive in-water experiences, the program strengthens the connection between coastal communities in British Columbia to the ocean, cultural heritage, and inner self. In doing so, We Are Water helps empower the next generation of strong, resilient, and culturally grounded environmental stewards.
Our innovative approach centers on immersive, sensory-rich learning through snorkelling, offering a fresh perspective that fully engages the body, mind and spirit. These firsthand experiences ignite a sense of awe, wonder, and curiosity about the world, fostering a profound connection to nature. By gently expanding comfort zones and introducing self-regulation tools and techniques, such as breathwork, mobility practices, and somatic awareness, the program also cultivates strength, resiliency and healing.
Grounded in a collaborative Two-Eyed Seeing framework—blending Indigenous and Western knowledge systems—We Are Water provides participants with a holistic understanding of their interconnectedness with the ocean and the living world - empowering them to become informed and compassionate agents of change.
Who We Work With
We work in close partnership with equity-deserving coastal communities across British Columbia who have a deep, long-standing history to place. Our work is strengthened by an interdisciplinary network of partners, which includes Indigenous Knowledge Holders, scientists, conservationists, storytellers, and educators. Collaboratively, we bring multiple learning lenses and curate programs that reflect each community’s unique cultural heritage, regional identity, and environmental priorities.
Designed with accessibility and inclusion at its core, the program welcomes people of all ages, identities, sizes, abilities, and backgrounds. No matter who you are, the ocean welcomes all.
From Vancouver to Haida Gwaii—and everywhere in between—we're committed to forming meaningful and long-term relationships that have a lasting impact.
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If you are interested in getting involved, we’d love to hear from you.
What We Dive For
Marine Conservation & Stewardship​
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Firsthand experiences with marine ecosystems can inspire awe, spark curiosity, and foster a deeper sense of responsibility to protect the ocean. Rooted in local knowledge and multi-disciplinary collaboration, the program helps build skills and knowledge that lead participants to meaningful pathways in marine stewardship and conservation.
Food Sovereignty and Security​
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Local Knowledge Holders and environmental experts share learning on cultural marine food systems, traditional stewardship, and ancestral technologies. Collectively, participants learn to identify, hand-harvest traditional and local marine foods, and incorporate them into communal meals that honour both heritage and sustainability. Our team works with communities long-term to strengthen food security, sovereignty, and sustainable economic growth.
Holistic Health & Wellbeing
The ocean holds a quiet power to restore, to soothe, and to heal. By simply immersing in the waters, participants experience the ocean's therapeutic qualities and are invited into a state of presence—where the mind stills, the heart softens, and the spirit reconnects. For many, this connection is deeply intimate and ancestral, supporting cultural renewal, grief processing, and intergenerational healing rooted in the rhythms of the sea.
Personal Growth
Entering cold, open water takes courage, trust, and the ability to embrace the unknown. WAW gently supports participants as they step beyond their comfort zones, building confidence, resiliency, and strength. This experience fosters personal transformation and the discovery of individual and collective potential.
How it works
Community-driven, culturally relevant programming
Each program is developed through a thoughtful, community-led process, working hand in hand with local members, including Elders and youth. Collaboratively, we design initiatives that reflect local knowledge, needs, and priorities—ensuring every program is unique, culturally relevant and deeply respectful.
​Interdisciplinary collaborations
Our programs serve as a nexus of environmental stewardship, wellness, cultural heritage, and personal growth, integrating both land-based and in-water learning. Each workshop draws on the expertise of a diverse community, including:
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Ecologists,
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Conservationists,
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Knowledge Holders,
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Diving Instructors,
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Mental health and wellness practitioners, and
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Professional Storytellers​​​​
Equipping participants with appropriate gear
For many, the biggest hurdle to entering the cold Pacific waters is a lack of access to proper gear. We provide high-quality equipment in all sizes to ensure a warm, safe, and comfortable in-water experience. Participants just need to show up, feel supported, and immerse themselves in the moment and their surroundings.
​Long-term commitment to learning
Our commitment goes beyond short-term engagement—we build lasting relationships within each community to create deep, sustainable impact. Workshops are tailored to local interests and can range from three-day intensives to ongoing, multi-year learning journeys. Whether through ecosystem monitoring, habitat restoration, or underwater photography and storytelling, our programs inspire connection and open doors to fulfilling careers that protect and celebrate our oceans.
WAW is funded through donations and grants, enabling us to offer programs at no cost. This ensures that financial barriers never stand in the way of access to the ocean.
Our Team
Maureen Vo She/Her
Maureen is a second-generation Vietnamese Canadian, born on the territory of Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg peoples (aka Peterborough, Ontario) and raised on the coast of British Columbia. Her deep connection to the ocean led her to pursue a Master’s in Marine Sciences, where she conducted research at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, further deepening her passion for protecting coastal ecosystems.
With nearly 15 years in marine conservation and environmental education, Maureen specializes in designing and leading immersive, place-based stewardship and leadership programs in coastal BC. Her work is rooted in collaboration and guided by the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, blending Indigenous and Western knowledge systems.​ She champions initiatives that respect Indigenous rights, protect coastal ecosystems, and empower youth. Her programs are not only educational—they’re transformative.
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When not safeguarding the coast, she enjoys learning to become a mermaid, adventuring on land and sea with her daughter, Jade, and dog, Charlie, and sharing delicious meals with great company.
FOUNDER
AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Benji Eisenberg They/He
Benji’s first love was the ocean where they spent many hours getting lost in marshes, playing in tide pools, and digging for clams along the Atlantic coast. They received their master’s from the University of British Columbia in landscape architecture with a focus on coastal restoration and stewardship. After which, they went on to teach future landscape architects coastal stewardship design.
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Benji has spent the last half decade supporting communities along the BC coast with projects aimed at better understanding ways to adapt with a changing coastal climate while protecting food sovereignty and intergenerational knowledge. Benji has used snorkeling, freediving, and their scientific scuba certification to lend a hand in caring for the many tidal species along the Pacific coast. Their love for freediving, foraging, and coastal restoration brought them to many shorelines across the province to both nurture and be nurtured by the tide.
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When not working on supporting coastal stewardship, you can find Benji looking for berries, cooking with friends, or communing with the many intertidal creatures along the BC coast.
Co-Founder
COASTAL STEWARDSHIP COORDINATOR
AND IN WATER SPECIALIST
Allison Kermode She/Her
Allison is a Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University. During her career as SFU Professor in Biological Sciences, she advanced the fields of the biology and conservation of tree seeds, and the development of therapeutics for rare childhood genetic diseases, authoring over 100 primary research publications.
Growing up in Coastal British Columbia gave Allison a vital connection to its unique wildlife, landscapes and marine environments, and their intricate interconnections. Allison has a special connection to the Spirit bear; a passion for protecting its habitat and the other treasures of coastal BC compelled her to co-found and direct Take a Stand: Youth for Conservation, a decade-long outreach program that has reached over 16,000 youth. Allison is intensely interested in youth-directed art and filmmaking as the means to generate hope and agency in youth.
When not working on youth engagement, Allison loves sunsets, ocean swimming, running, and fiction storytelling and illustration for children.
Co-Founder
BOARD MEMBER
Nathaniel (Nate) Glickman
Nathaniel (Nate) Glickman grew up on the beaches of WSANEC territory in Sidney, BC. From an early age the ocean has been at the centre of his life and passion. From exploring in kayaks, to snorkelling and boating throughout the Salish Sea as a youngster, his passion for exploration has never ceased. He has spent the last 20 years balancing work between the realms of outdoor education, environmental advocacy, coastal ecology and expedition guiding.
Nowadays, his scope has narrowed and spends his time with youth from communities across coastal BC. His focus is connecting them with their local ecosystems through outdoor adventure, often spending more time in a tent than his own bed. By blending coastal science with activities like surfing, kayaking, sailing and snorkelling, he strives to foster the connection and wellbeing that the ocean has given him. He has been blessed with incredible opportunities to work with indigenous communities throughout the region, learning to blend knowledge systems through two-eyed seeing.
You can find Nate obsessively studying weather forecasts chasing surf, powder and adventure throughout the coast of BC. If the waves or snow are good, there’s a pretty good chance he will show up out of nowhere with a cheeky smile on his face.
