During my childhood, I traveled to the Caribbean sea with my parents. That is where I saw coral reefs for the first time. I was so excited that I still remember it, like a photograph! All those colors and life forms were truly impressive—probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The sea was quite different back home in Portugal.

Year by year, the deterioration of the coral reefs was notorious. It was obvious that it was happening at a very fast pace. The corals, an important pillar for the biodiversity found in the ocean, lost their distinctive colors, and so many life forms gradually faded away—it made me feel very sad every time we visited.