2026: The Year I Level Up as a Reef Human

by David Ojok, CRC Communications

I’ve stopped pretending I can predict my whole future, but 2026 feels like a year where I want to show up with more intention for the ocean, not in a dramatic “move to a research station and live underwater” kind of way, but in the small, consistent habits that actually shape stewardship.

My first goal is simple: learn more, but learn smarter. I want to deepen my understanding of bleaching response, monitoring, and regional restoration strategies, not to become a scientist, but to communicate with the kind of accuracy the ocean deserves. When your job is translating the work of experts, your responsibility is staying teachable.

Second, I want to amplify practitioners in ways that feel real. Not just reposting their victories, but helping tell the full story; context, struggle, recovery, and the humans behind it. Coral stewardship isn’t just about corals; it’s about the people holding the line. In 2026, I want to use whatever platform I have to make their work louder in the right places.

Third, I’m committing to becoming a better connector. One of the most underrated tools in conservation is matchmaking, linking people who should’ve met years ago, surfacing resources someone didn’t know they needed, or making sure a good idea doesn’t die in someone’s inbox. If the CRC has taught me anything, it’s that stewardship thrives in networks, not silos.

The last goal is personal: keep my curiosity intact. The ocean is unpredictable, and so is the path of anyone who works near it, even from behind a laptop like me. So I’m keeping the door open for whatever comes next: maybe new collaborations, maybe new skills, maybe a project I can’t even imagine yet.

If 2025 was about finding my place in this space, 2026 will be about growing into it, slowly, steadily, and with enough flexibility to follow wherever the tide decides to pull me next.