Q&A Julie Church, Founder & CEO of SEAS4LIFE
 Seas4Life specialises in crafting bespoke ocean experiences that blend exclusivity, comfort and a deep connection to the natural wonders of the world’s seas. It is a leader in the creation of outstanding marine expeditions and conservation-inspired experiences that explore the Western Indian Ocean, including East and Southern African coastal states and island groups such as the Seychelles and the Red Sea. Seas4Life founder and CEO Julie Church is a fourth-generation Kenyan marine biologist-turned-entrepreneur. Her journey began with a deep-rooted passion for ocean conservation, leading ground-breaking initiatives that bridge science, community, and tourism. Julie is dedicated to protecting the ocean and its inhabitants through innovative research and the provision of technical advice to marine projects from the Red Sea to South Africa and extensively guided sea safaris around Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania. Ahead of UN World Oceans Day 2025 (Jun 8th 2025) Julie spoke to The Luxury Travel Bible about how important it is for luxury travellers to help protect the world’s oceans. What inspired you to set up ‘SEAS4LIFE’? Born into an adventurous family in Kenya with a rich history in safari and wildlife conservation, and having founded Ocean Sole - the flipflop recycling Company, I wanted to create a business that supported marine conservation, and connected people to the ocean directly through experiences. Through my first-hand experience and global recognition, it is evident that the Ocean is facing critical challenges due to human-based actions globally, regionally and locally and the impacts are deep. While the challenges are big, I believe there is real momentum for collaborative solutions. Seas4Life is proud to be a pioneer in this movement, by creating purposeful travel experiences with active local conservation partners, showcasing their work in restoring ocean health, supporting communities and inspiring a new generation of ocean guardians. Whether at sea or land or a mixture of both, Seas4Life is using Travel for Good and committing 70% of its profits to marine conservation through its foundation. I chose to work in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) as my past career in marine conservation gave me the opportunity to work in the WIO countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Seychelles, and beyond. Here, I created and led impactful conservation initiatives including advising governments, NGOs, and international bodies on marine governance and protected area management, sustainable tourism, and empowering local communities through education and conservation initiatives. Achievements were made due to collaboration with individuals with local communities, scientists, Government officials and travel companies. With this background and being dedicated to creating long lasting solutions and impact through trade making the Ocean our core business, it made sense to bring alive the WIO region to the traveller, and showcase the diversity of the WIO, through hands-on travel in and on the Ocean. The WIO houses the second coral reef triangle in the world due to its diversity, and Seas4life creates transformational experiences for our guests, creating greater value for live fish, corals, mangroves, seagrass beds being alive and healthy. The WIO is often ignored and overlooked in comparison to other Ocean areas, and this may partly be due to accessibility, limited quality travel opportunities and investments, and poor governance, so showcasing its uniqueness is important to creating greater value in the sea, its people and its biodiversity. Seas4life as an entity, emerged as a charity in 2019 from a bittersweet moment, after the loss of a dear friend. The organisation led the Cycle4Seas, whose mission was to raise funds for local marine conservation areas in Kenya by cycling 600 kilometres from Nairobi to Watamu. Motivational and purpose-driven, this sparked Seas4life into experiential travel. What makes SEAS4LIFE’ special? What can people expect? Seas4life provides personal, purposeful and transformational experiences to its guests - whether students, families, solo travellers or honeymooners. Each experience is curated around the guests’ preferences, taking into account the tide, wind and weather. Luxury is in the experience, and can be from a private yacht, private villa or hand-selected lodges. Seas4life brings to life the unique wildlife (for instance Apes and Whale Sharks/Whales; Elephants, Giraffes and Groupers) of the WIO and East and Southern Africa, offering bespoke expert-led journeys where science and conservation are at the heart of each trip. For divers and adventurous guests, each expedition generates a connection and learning experience - it’s more than just diving. Each experience is transformative, connecting with existing conservation efforts firsthand, with the champions and changemakers, and leaving with a desire to be an ocean guardian in life. What are you most proud about at ‘SEAS4LIFE’? We are proud pioneers of transformational business in the WIO, where the Ocean is our core business. Seas4life is a voice of the WIO, showcasing through travel, information sharing and media, the value of the WIO through its people, conservation efforts and unique biodiversity. We are proud of the ground and research work our partners are doing - Bahari Hai, Local Ocean Conservation, Olive Ridley Kenya, Oceans Alive, REEFolution, Kwanini Foundation, Kitu Kiblu and Ropes of Hope, the Shark Research Unit, MAR in Mozambique. We are proud to showcase their work with our guests, and create that connection, awareness and provide support. We are proud to connect students (Harvard/Stem students, local Students) to local conservation efforts in the region such as Bahari hai, Shark Research Unit in South Africa, Oceans Alive and supporting Kuruwitu. We are proud to have Julie Church, founder of Ocean Sole - the flipflop recycling company, leading and financially supporting Seas4life in its infancy. What does ‘SEAS4LIFE’’ have in store for 2025, and beyond? Seas4Life Safaris has committed to a ‘giving model’ going forward, where 70% of our profits are directed to marine conservation efforts across the WIO. This 70/30 model is inspired by our planet being 70% ocean and 30% land. We believe our impact should reflect that balance. As we grow, we support the vital work being done by our conservation partners in the future. Tell us more about the work of the Seas4Life Foundation Newly established, Seas4Life Foundation supports, through awareness, technical advice and fund raising, select local conservation initiatives in the WIO. Rooted in principles of collaboration, equity, and environmental stewardship, the Foundation’s vision is to be a driving force for a WIO Blue Consciousness, nurturing a more informed and responsible relationship with the ocean. How can the luxury travel industry and luxury travellers make a positive impact on the world’s oceans? For Seas4life ‘luxury’ is regenerative and evolving, no longer defined solely by opulence, measured by its ability to create meaningful impact. Seas4Life’s luxury is in the experience, in the change created through the experience - in transformation. So the luxury travel industry and travellers, for Seas4life, will be those that leave connected, present and more alive. How do you think the luxury travel industry is evolving? How have guests’ demands/needs changed? Regenerative luxury is slowly becoming the new gold standard. It transcends sustainability by not just minimizing harm, but by actively giving back. Restoring fragile ecosystems, empowering local communities, safeguarding cultural heritage and transforming the guests mindsets. It transforms travel into a force for renewal, where every stay, experience and interaction leaves a positive legacy. Seas4life guests like the expertise provided through information sharing, connections to on the ground conservationists, and the support provided for ongoing impactful conservation efforts in the region whether for coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves, local marine protected areas, sea turtle and marine mammal research and protection. 
What is your personal litmus test for whether a travel experience is worthy of the 'luxury' tag? For me luxury isn’t about thread count or champagne on arrival, it’s about how deeply the experience transforms my understanding and connection to the place, its people and its situation, comfortably, safely and in an interesting way. A truly luxurious experience makes me feel more connected, more human, and more alive and more purposeful in a comfortable, safe and financially understood way. It engages all my senses while also enriching the soul, within a budget agreed on, to get the most out of that experience. Questions I ask include: Does this experience leave something behind for the local community, or the planet? Does the experience transform me through the expertise and information shared, and was it shared in an engaging and fun way. For me, the new ‘luxury’ is no longer about only the champagne, the accommodation, the helicopter or jet visits, the food and location, it’s more than that - it’s about having all or less than that in a conscious connected inspirational way, giving back more than I take. For this reason, our 70-30% model, means that everyone in one way or another through luxury travel is supporting ocean conservation through the S4L Foundation and its conservation partners. What marine life is your favourite to witness in the wild? The truth is that I find it hard to have a favourite. But ‘sea turtles’ have always held a special place in my heart. Graceful yet strong, ancient yet vulnerable. They are a quiet reminder of everything we’re trying to protect. They’ve swum the world’s oceans for over 100 million years, navigating vast distances with instinct and patience. And yet today, their survival depends on our actions. To me, turtles represent the soul of the sea. Their presence is calming. Their journey is humbling. And their fragility reminds us that even the most enduring creatures can be brought to the brink unless we choose to act. And every time I see one in the wild, I’m reminded why what I do matters. What is the one travel experience you will never forget? Scuba Diving in the Red Sea, Sudan, particularly off Ras Shaab Rumi, a dive spot central Sudan. This specific location Jacques Cousteau in the early 1960’s, tested the Conshelf experience - exploring if humans could live and work beneath the sea for extended periods? This work proved that humans could work for periods of time, laying the foundation for future undersea exploration and technology. I visited the now Pre-continent 2 home to 5 researchers at 11m for a month, and the deeper station where 2 people lived for a week. But more importantly the marine life is spectacular at this location - excellent corals, an amazing array of fish and sharks. I will never forget being at around 45m watching 50+ hammerhead sharks, then coming up the reef and seeing grey and silky sharks too and a huge shoal of snappers and sweetlips, and then an array of anthias surgeon and butterfly fish. There are moments in life that imprint on your soul and for me, diving off Ras Shaab Rumi is one of them. That dive deepened my love for the ocean. It also reaffirmed my purpose: to help others connect with these rare, fragile places before it’s too late. What is at the top of your 'where to next' wish list? Northwest Madagascar Why? Because it’s one of the WIO lesser visited and understood areas. This region is home to some of the most untouched coral reefs in the WIO, yet still largely undocumented. It’s wild, raw, and incredibly biodiverse, with mangrove forests, whale migration routes, sea turtles, the occasional dugong in the North, and thriving reef systems that are vital to both people and the planet. Added to that is the unique terrestrial environments and lesser visited local communities. But what makes Northwest Madagascar truly compelling is its urgency, and that there are a few scientists ready to explore this region with us. Despite its richness, it faces mounting pressures from climate change, overfishing, and limited marine governance. It’s a place where the window for protection is still open, For me, it’s the perfect convergence of exploration and purpose in a lesser known area. To witness the beauty, listen to local stories, and contribute however small to a growing movement for marine conservation in one of the ocean’s most overlooked strongholds. What three things do you never travel without? 1) A Sense of Humour Because travel is wild, unpredictable, and humbling. From delayed flights to unexpected encounters with curious crabs in your dive bag, keeping a sense of humour is what makes the journey unforgettable—and keeps the spirit light even when things don’t go as planned. 2) Reef-Safe Sunscreen Small choice, big impact. Protecting my skin shouldn’t come at the ocean’s expense. I never leave home without reef-safe sunscreen. It's a simple way to show respect for the marine life I love, especially the fragile coral reefs that suffer from chemical exposure. 3) An Underwater Camera or GoPro This is a MUST for me because ‘always’ words aren’t enough. Capturing those fleeting underwater moments helps me tell stories that inspire others to care and to act. Knowing what I am looking at, I can convert this into messages for a wider audience. Who would you most like to sit next to on a long-haul flight? Why? Dr. Sylvia Earle. Oceanographer, explorer, and living legend. If I had the chance to spend hours in conversation with anyone, it would be her. Dr. Earle has dedicated her entire life to the ocean. Diving deeper, staying longer, and fighting harder than almost anyone on the planet to protect it. I’d love to ask her about the first time she dived and felt that shift from observer to guardian. To hear what it's been like to watch our oceans change over the decades and what still gives her hope. I imagine we’d talk about her research; her impact and I would ask her to help us bring awareness and change to the WIO - our overlooked ecosystems, which need more scientific support. We would use this to build on existing community-driven conservation, and generate more stories about the WIO for local and regional connection. But mostly, I’d just listen. Because when someone has spent more time beneath the waves than most of us will in a lifetime, you don’t interrupt, you absorb. That flight wouldn’t feel long enough. What is the most important thing (travel-wise) that money CAN buy? Money can’t buy depth, connection, or wonder directly but it can open doors and take you to remote coastlines, lesser explored areas, unknown protected reefs, and unique community-led conservation projects that most never see. It can fund time with local guides, marine biologists, and storytellers who help you understand a place far beyond the surface. It can take you on wonderful adventures by sea, air and on land. In that way, money can buy something incredibly powerful - The opportunity to witness, to learn, and to contribute. And when travel becomes transformational, not just for the traveller but for the planet that’s money well spent. What is the most important thing (travel-wise) that money CAN’T buy? Money can take you anywhere in the world, but it can’t buy the feeling of truly belonging to a moment. It can’t buy the warmth of a shared smile with a local fisherman, the quiet awe of watching a turtle forage on sponges or nest under a full moon, or the deep personal shift that happens when the ocean humbles you. It can’t buy presence. It can’t buy wonder. And it certainly can’t buy the meaning behind the journey. Those things come when you travel with intention, with respect, and with an open heart. They're earned not purchased. Because the most unforgettable moments in travel are often the ones that don’t cost a thing Luxury Links: www.seas4life.com Posted 06/06/2025 |
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Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
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