Looking out over the waves, my senses come alive – the smell of the sea is powerful and nostalgic. I watch the changing landscapes, cluttered with small islands and vast mountains with endemic forests, and listen for the sound of the whales’ blows, seabirds calling and waves breaking against the boat. Every time I spot a piece of rubbish it stings. It makes me want to travel around the world, to go further and record how humans impact the Earth. I need to figure out how to create solutions and, of course, to connect with nature, in all its wisdom, humbleness and power.

I was in Patagonia as part of the Plastic Oceans International and Haka Honu expedition team, out in remote and insular areas of the Chonos Archipelago for 11 days conducting research. I was excited to discover the unknown. It was the most incredible experience, visiting these places that have so little tourism and were once home to now-extinct nomadic Chilean peoples.

The wildlife we saw while out on expedition was enthralling. Sea lions, dolphins and whales would swim and play alongside our research vessel, and would even escort us while in the zodiac or on jet skis, gambling about beneath the waves. Penguins peered at us curiously, and great flocks of seabirds would bob around my dinghy when I was out sampling. They didn’t seem to mind my intrusion into their seemingly untouched world. Twice, bioluminescent organisms appeared in my samples. The mesh glowed fluorescent blue, despite the waning light from the sunset. I couldn’t have asked for a more extraordinary moment.

The waves in these remote spots were incredibly powerful, and the fact that the climatic conditions made them so hard to reach only made them more enticing to our team of surfers. However, the potential is definitely there – I was in awe of how mighty the waves were, and the spots we found over sand breaks in more protected areas were enough to warrant a story of their own. There is more to explore, because there are many more undiscovered places to surf in the region, but that will be another adventure.