Climbing the rig to pack the square sails onboard Bark Europa in Antarctica. Photo by Valery Vasilevskiy
2023 projects
Creation of the First Hope Spot in Iceland
Creation of hands-on ocean science exhibition in Húsavík
Sustainability for local companies and business
Pilot project: Sustainability program for Wake Forest University as part of Ocean Missions’ May 2022 Expedition involving the addition of ocean chemistry sampling to Ocean Missions’ research efforts.
Daylong “citizen science” sailing tours, Whales, Sails and Science, to study microplastic and its effects on important whale feeding grounds (year two of ongoing research)
The Hope Exhibition to Iceland’s first Hope Spot, in collaboration with Ocean Missions and Piratas Do Amor
Sampling and citizen science tours with the eWHALE Project
Hope Festival in Húsavík, Iceland
Preparing a manta trawl to study microplastic in waters off Iceland. Photo by Ocean Missions
MARINE SCIENTIST, GUIDE, SAILOR, AND OCEAN CONSERVATIONISt
Belén garcia ovide
about
Belén Garcia Ovide is a marine scientist, sailor and wildlife guide researching plastic pollution and Environmental DNA through oceanic expeditions and citizen science in Iceland. Originally from Spain, Belén has dedicated the last eight years of her life on studying the oceans and working on conservation projects. In 2012 after finishing a three-year degree in biology in Madrid, Belén moved to the heart of the Canary Islands close to the sea to start her career as a marine scientist. Inspired by the power of the oceans, she explored and dove in every corner of the islands, specializing in whale ecology and distribution. For three years she worked as an educator on community science projects to raise awareness about whales and dolphins within the Canary Islands archipelago.
In 2014 Belén moved to Iceland where she became a whale watching guide and professional sailor. In Iceland she has organized short and long voyages onboard traditional boats and renowned tall ships, exploring primarily remote and cold areas including both the North and South poles. She has been leading projects in eco-tourism and underwater acoustic research in different vessels and sharing her work at marine science conferences around the world.
In 2017 Belén graduated with her masters in marine and coastal management at the University of Westfjords. There, her research focus was on the potential effects of boat noise on whales and opportunities for eco-tourism in Húsavík, Iceland.
In 2019, Belén founded "Ocean Missions," a non-profit organization in Húsavík—Iceland’s so-called “Whale Capital”—to inspire people to take positive action to help the oceans. As leader of Ocean Missions, Belén organizes community science expeditions and leads microplastics research, beach cleanups, eco-tourism and ocean literacy projects in local Icelandic communities.
In 2023, she worked with MISSION BLUE to establish Iceland’s first Hope Spot—an area that’s scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean—and organized an expedition there with Ocean Missions and Piratas Do Amor. She also became involved with the eWHALE Project, an environmental DNA sampling project making use of citizen science and ecotourism to monitor local oceanic biodiversity, and became a PhD candidate at the University of Iceland
Belén’s job is inspired by the Mahatma Gandhi quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and hopes to encourage humans to return back what we have come to owe to nature.