In 2012 Sigourney Grandmann contacted me at Project AWARE to say, “First thing I am going to do on my 18th Birthday is to sign the shark petition.”

On that day, Sigourney joined 135,000 divers and shark advocates to help make history and win protections for five shark species, manta rays and sawfish under CITES. Today, Sigourney is a PADI Pro, busy freelancing in Krabi, Thailand. She's answered  a new call to action for sharks and rays and you can too. It's an opportunity to help make change for vanishing sharks and rays - one that only comes along once every three years. Every voice counts and we need yours!

When it comes to protecting the ocean, community leaders are critical to influencing global change. I connected with Sigourney to find out what inspires her as an AWARE leader. Check out what she had to say below.

When did you become an AWARE diver?

In 2012, I did my first Open Water Course. Taking my first breaths underwater completely changed everything. I wanted to learn more about the ocean and why there was so much trash around me. After some research, I came across the Project AWARE site and was completely blown away by everything I was reading. I could not believe that Sharks were in peril. Even though, I hadn’t seen a shark yet and (I was actually quite scared to see one in the beginning,) it made me incredibly sad to know that they were killed alive and left to die. After that, I knew that I had to do something about it.

What words of advice and encouragement would you give to divers who are passionate about underwater conservation but don’t know where to start.

Start by speaking up! No matter where you are, you can make a difference. After I finished my Open Water Course, I went home to Chiang Mai and had no access to diving or any marine conservation program. So I made my own project, ‘Save the Ocean Project’ where I just started to educate people about the problems that are occurring in our oceans. I went around to all the schools in Chiang Mai and gave a presentation about the ocean to all school students. Here’s one I did in Lanna International School. I used to be extremely shy and kept to myself, but my passion for the ocean and the marine animals was my driving force. Eventually, I realized I needed to do my Divemaster course and continue my path in diving. If you are passionate about something, don’t ever give up until you get to where you want to be!

What’s your top tip for being an eco-friendly diver?

I definitely think that being a role model is my top tip. As an instructor, I teach my divers to not touch anything and to respect the marine environment. Any novice diver will do whatever you do, because they look to you for advice. To them, you know everything there is to know about diving! So being a role model, I think is very important.

How do you educate your student divers about the marine environment during training?

I am so passionate about the ocean. If I could talk about one thing for the rest of my life, it would be about the ocean. I have truly never been inspired to this extent by anything else and I want my students to feel the same and be motivated to help bring change to our oceans. That’s why, during every discover scuba diving course or open water course, I make sure to let them know about the importance of having a healthy ocean and the current issues facing our marine ecosystem.

What’s the biggest conservation issue that concerns you locally or internationally?

I feel as though the problem is not that we are fishing. It’s not about the local fishermen who fish to feed their families and provide a stable income; these people are suffering as much as the oceans are. The problem is the big industries and corporations that do not understand enough is enough.

Name one thing in your daily life you’d like to improve on to protect the environment.

Use of electricity. I believe I am very conscious in my everyday decisions such as bringing my own bag when grocery shopping, however, I am constantly on my laptop.

Thanks Sigourney – if you’re on your laptop right now join us -  please take 3 minutes today and send a letter - and thank you for giving sharks and rays a voice!