Ernst van der Poll

Year Dive Certified: 1997

Dive Certification Level: PADI Course Director

Expertise: Conservation, instructor development, adaptive dive training and water safety

Instagram : @ConnectOcean

As founder and CEO of ConnectOcean—an NGO in Costa Rica offering allability diving programs—Ernst van der Poll wears many hats. From teaching refugees to swim to designing educational materials, van der Poll and his team empower a global community of explorers. For his role in inspiring the next generation of change makers, Ernst van der Poll is our November 2024 Sea Hero.

1. For those unfamiliar, what is ConnectOcean?

ConnectOcean Conservation and Outreach is an NGO operating from Costa Rica. We believe that the ocean is for everyone. Connecting communities to the sea and fostering stewardship is what we do. From teaching people to swim to inspiring the next generation of change-makers, our programs and activities are designed to empower a global community of explorers.

2. How have your scuba, fishing, swimming and lifeguarding programs helped the local community?

At ConnectOcean, our approach to conservation and community outreach is deeply rooted in the power of collective action. We believe in the effectiveness of a crowd-sourced model, where small contributions from individuals and communities together create significant impacts. By investing back into communities and fostering existing local stakeholder hubs, we empower them to take ownership of the environmental and socio-economic challenges they face.

A prime example of this is our SWIM SAFE Costa Rica initiative. Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in Costa Rica, with approximately 60 coastal drownings occurring annually along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

To address this, ConnectOcean collaborates with communities heavily affected by these tragedies to establish Volunteer Lifesaving Club Associations where locals are trained to swim and lifeguard at the beaches. These efforts have proven to save lives, especially in remote areas where it can take up to 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

In addition to our focus on water safety, we are now applying a similar model to conservation.

We use a crowd-source model to educate local communities about their ecosystems and connect them with nearby conservation initiatives to encourage collaboration and support. We develop citizen science how-to guides to allow community members to adopt, regenerate and protect their local marine ecosystems. These ecosystems become community-managed conservation areas. By creating a network of these community-managed areas, we harness the power of collective action. In essence, we are crowd-sourcing conservation.

Related Reading: 4 Conservation Artists You Should Follow

3. What other projects are you and your team working on at this time?

In addition to our ongoing initiatives, ConnectOcean is currently developing a program known as the ConnectOcean Citizen Science Explorer program which offers e-learning courses crafted to provide participants with direct, place-based education, immersing them in the ecosystems they are studying.

Our e-learning courses cover the interconnectedness of freshwater and marine environments, intertidal biodiversity, mangrove ecology, the threats facing coral reefs and their importance, open-ocean and deep-sea environments, and manta ray conservation.

This method moves beyond traditional classroom settings to deliver education where it matters most—on-site, within the ecosystems themselves.

4. What's been your most surprising moment?

One of my most surprising moments when I was 11 years old. My school classroom offered a view of the sea, and during a math class one day, I glanced out the window and saw a huge spout of water shooting into the air—a whale! Excited, I told my friends and the entire class abandoned their books, all eyes glued to the window.

Our teacher told us to close our books and imparted a valuable life lesson. She said, "Class, the reality is that much of what you learn within the four walls of this classroom, you will likely forget. But what you learn from nature, you will remember for the rest of your lives."

With that, she told us to pack up, and we walked down to the beach. To our amazement, we saw the whale giving birth to a calf. Surrounding the mother and her newborn was a circle of dolphins, seemingly protecting them.

That experience marked my first true connection with the ocean. It ignited a lifelong passion and curiosity, ultimately shaping the person I am today and guiding me toward the career I chose. It was a surprising moment of discovery and wonder that has stayed with me ever since.

5. Why is Costa Rica an ideal location for these programs?

Costa Rica is uniquely positioned to be the ideal setting for implementing these programs due to its vast ocean territory. While the country is renowned for its strong conservation ethics, with 27.6% of its land designated as conservation areas, the protection of its ocean territory remains relatively underdeveloped. This gap presents a critical opportunity for initiatives like ours to make a meaningful impact.

6. What do you view as the greatest challenges in marine conservation today? How are these challenges reflected in your work?

One of the greatest challenges in marine conservation today is bridging the gap between scientific research and community engagement. For years, the scientific community has been raising alarms about the dire consequences of overexploitation of our ecosystems. Despite the wealth of knowledge, translating these scientific findings into meaningful community action remains a significant hurdle.

What we need is a spark—something that can ignite passion, which is the true catalyst for change. Passion is born from direct experience. As Baba Dioum aptly said, "We will only protect what we love. We will only love what we understand, and we will only understand what we are taught.”

When engaging with youth in our programs, we often ask, "Do you have a best friend?" Almost everyone says yes. Then we ask, "When did you care more about them—when you first met, or now?" The answer is invariably, "Now, because I know them better." We then ask, "If someone tried to bully your best friend, what would you do?" The response is always, "I would stand up for them." This analogy illustrates how the more time we spend in the ocean, the more we discover and learn about it. This connection fosters a deep-seated desire to protect it, just as we would protect a dear friend.

7. What's been your most satisfying moment?

One of my most satisfying moments occurred while I was working and living in Dubai. I had the opportunity to lead a "Week Without Walls" program, where we hosted middle school students for a week-long immersion in ocean education and conservation. They took the PADI Open Water Diver course in the mornings and participated in conservation workshops in the afternoons.

As part of a collaboration with WWF and the Emirates Environmental Agency, students created a sustainable fishing guide that categorized fish into three groups: green for sustainable, yellow for vulnerable, and red for threatened species. The students visited the Dubai fish market, where they engaged with local fishermen. It was incredible to witness these young students, sitting with the fishermen, explaining the importance of sustainable fishing practices. The fishermen, many of whom likely had children the same age, were surprisingly receptive to the students’ message, asking questions and showing genuine interest.

The students didn’t stop there. They identified top seafood restaurants in Dubai and reviewed their menus for endangered species. Upon finding any, they set up meetings with the restaurant managers, presenting the booklet and explaining the importance of sustainable seafood. Many managers agreed to make changes.

What made this experience even more gratifying was seeing the long-term impact. At least 11 of those students went on to become career scientists or work in conservation and the scuba diving industry. Knowing that this program helped spark a lifelong commitment to the ocean in these young minds remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.

Related Reading: Gifted Education Specialist Dr. Kama Cannon Named September Sea Hero

8. Who are your "sea heroes"?

Among those who have stood out as heroes to me, my father is at the top of the list. He was an environmental teacher who shared with his students the importance of balance in nature. One of the activities he often led was snorkeling in intertidal rock pools, where he taught students about the intricate ecosystems thriving in these often-overlooked spaces.

My father nurtured my curiosity from a young age. He was always willing to answer my endless questions and encouraged me to keep exploring and learning. His passion for the ocean and the natural world was infectious, and it shaped who I am today.

My father passed away last November, but the lessons he taught me continue to live on. I am grateful that I can carry forward his legacy, passing on the knowledge and passion he instilled in me to others. In doing so, I hope to help grow a tribe of ocean enthusiasts who are as passionate about conservation as he was. His influence is a guiding force in my work, and his memory inspires me every day to keep fighting for the ocean he loved so dearly.

9. Is there anything we did not ask that you would like readers to know? Tell us what's important to you!

The time to act is now. We are at the halfway mark for the United Nations’ 30x30 goal to protect 30% of the Earth's land, waterways and oceans by 2030. We must recognize we are a part of nature, not apart from nature. We must move beyond the mindset of "someone has to do something about it." That someone is you, and it's me. You're either an activist or an inactivist—there's no middle ground.

I urge everyone to discover what they can do within their local community to make a difference. Spend time in nature, make that connection, and find the passion that will ignite the fire needed to drive change. The responsibility to protect our natural resources starts with you and me. Change begins with each of us taking action.

Each Sea Hero featured in Scuba Diving receives a Seiko SRPD43 watch valued at $525. For our December issue, judges select a Sea Hero of the Year, who receives a $5,000 cash award from Seiko to further their work. Nominate a sea hero at scubadiving.com/seaheroes.