We wanted the calm atmosphere of Sunday mornings to be accompanied by the scent of the sea, so we embarked on a unique scientific-anthropological journey that would begin in Turkey's four seas. The captain of this journey is a woman who sees the sea as a living memory: the founder of Deniz Kızı Akademi. Melike Esra Karayel.
At the same time, this project is Turkey's first cultural waste profile study.ı has the characteristic of being.
On the morning of October 25, 2025, there was a quiet bustle along the shore of Istanbul Technical University's Faculty of Maritime Sciences. The Sea Maiden Academy, “The Mermaid's Submarine Diary”They launched their original project, named after them, here for the first time with a free dive from the shore. This first dive, conducted in shallow waters, represented both the symbolic and scientific beginning of the project. We also followed immediately after the first dive. Melike Esra Karayel’We got together. In this conversation, which is perfect for a Sunday morning, there is much to inspire us and much to learn!
“The sea offers people a wonderful life and memory.”
When we asked where he positioned the project, Karayel began with a clear statement:
“The sea offers humans a wonderful life and also a memory. Each wave tells us a story with the debris it carries to shore: our consumption habits, our way of life, our connection to the sea... The ‘Mermaid's Submarine Diary’ was born to make this invisible story visible.”
He continues, explaining that these words are not romantic, but rather have a scientific background:
“To me, the sea is the underwater archive of our collective memory. We're just lifting the lid and trying to read it.”
12 Months, 12 Bays: “We open a new underwater page every month”
When talking about the dives that will take place in a total of 12 bays in Turkey's four seas—the Marmara, Black Sea, Aegean, and Mediterranean—his voice becomes a little more excited:
“We dive in a different cove every month. All of these coves were selected based on scientific criteria. We work in shallow waters accessible from the shore, no deeper than 3–4 meters, because what we really want to see are the traces left by daily life in the water.”
Underwater images of the dives to be conducted each month Blue Age Sea 5.0 will be broadcast on its channel. Karayel emphasizes that this is of great importance for the visibility and cultural memory aspect of the project.
When asked how the dives went, he explains the method simply but clearly:
“We conduct 30–60 minute free dives and snorkel surveys. We record every piece of debris we remove according to its type, quantity, and weight. We photograph it. We carefully classify each piece. This allows us to create robust data for both environmental and scientific purposes.”
“The Black Sea tells me about fishing, the Mediterranean about tourism.”
When the conversation turns to the meaning of waste, a slight smile appears on Karayel's face:
“Every piece of waste removed is not only environmental but also anthropological. It also carries meaning. Fishing nets in the Black Sea, plastics from tourism in the Mediterranean, packaging waste in the Aegean... These are not coincidences. Each is a silent indicator of that region's way of life and its relationship with the sea.”
He adds at this point:
“Sometimes I can read the story of the area from even a piece of plastic I pick up while diving.”
“This project doesn't produce waste; it produces science, data, and memory.”
When we want to explain the academic side of the project, the tone is more technical but still warm:
“The data we collect will be made available to universities as open data. It will serve as a resource for theses, articles, field research, and more. We have even prepared our analysis infrastructure for the studies we will submit to international journals. ANOVA, Chi-square ”We will scientifically demonstrate regional and seasonal differences using statistical tests such as these."
Then he adds with a smile:
“That's why I don't call this cleaning. This is scientific underwater research.”
Blue Consciousness, Blue Economy, and Humanity
Mermaid Academy’We recall that Karayel has been working for years on mental health, leadership, and Blue Space Therapy. For Karayel, this project is a tangible reflection of all his accumulated knowledge:
“Our relationship with the sea affects our mental health, our behavior, and even our economy. That's why this project is not just about the environment; it's also deeply connected to the humanities. It's a collective journey that begins with a dive and extends to science and humanity.”
Documentary: “A single call rises from four seas”
When we remind him that a documentary will be filmed at the end of the 12-month process, Karayel's voice softens a little:
“The documentary is not merely a record; it will be an emotional work that tells the story of this country's connection to its seas. A common call rising from Turkey's four seas: ‘The seas are our memory; let's protect them.’”
As he utters the final sentence, he speaks with the calmness of a Sunday morning; neither loud nor boastful, just self-assured.
A Fitting End to the Pleasant Tranquility of Sunday
As we conclude the interview, we return to his first statement about the sea being not only an ecological but also a cultural memory. Away from the hustle and bustle of the week, in the lightness of Sunday, that statement feels even more meaningful today:
“With this project, we are turning the silence beneath the water into a story.”
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