Our Mission

Great Ocean Forests is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to ocean-positive storytelling and education.

Our mission is to share the beauty, biodiversity, and importance of the world’s kelp forests — vast underwater ecosystems that few have seen, and fewer still have experienced.

By fostering understanding and connection, we hope to inspire greater care for these vital but often overlooked marine habitats, especially as many are now under threat.

Great Ocean Forests is a collaborative effort, grounded in respect, curiosity, and a shared commitment to the living world.

Who We Are

  • Faine Loubser

    CO-FOUNDER

    Faine is a filmmaker, photographer, and free-diver who has spent over ten years immersed in the world of kelp forests. Mentored early on by Craig Foster, and shaped by years of diving in the kelp forests of South Africa, she learned how to observe these ecosystems with patience, sensitivity, and care. She now brings this knowledge to kelp forests around the world. Through her ongoing project, Great Ocean Forests, she seeks to reveal the hidden richness of these marine environments—inviting a deeper connection to kelp forests.

  • Ross Frylinck

    CO-FOUNDER

    Ross is a photographer, author, and free-diver who co-founded the Sea Change Project. Through his current initiative, Great Ocean Forests, Ross documents the hidden beauty and biodiversity of the world’s kelp forests using film, photography, and storytelling. His work invites audiences into a deeper relationship with the ocean and explores the ancient bond between humans and the sea.

Collaborators

  • John Chambers

    Wildlife Filmmaker, Ireland

  • Dr Alejandra Mora-Soto

    Biogeographer, Chile

  • Aleksander Nordahl

    Photojournalist, Norway

  • Billy Arthur

    Photographer, Scotland

  • Ai Futaki

    Ocean Ambassador, Japan

  • Dr Martin Stevens

    Sensory Ecologist, England

  • Hamish Clueard

    Conservationist, Maōri Elder, NZ

  • Glenn Edney

    Ecologist, NZ

  • Rodrigo Sanchez Grez

    Explorer & Expedition Lead, Chile

  • Oriana Poindexter

    Marine biologist, Artist, USA

  • Mike Guest

    Photographer, Scotland

  • Prof. Jon Erlandson

    Marine Archaeologist, USA

Expeditions

Over the past five years, we’ve visited coastal regions from Patagonia to Japan, South Africa to Norway, spending time in kelp forests and with the people who know them best.

Each expedition is an opportunity to learn more about these ecosystems and to gather stories—ecological, cultural, and personal—that reflect their beauty and complexity.

This work is made possible through the insight and generosity of local divers, scientists, elders, and ocean lovers who have welcomed us into their communities and helped us see these forests through their eyes.

All of our filming and photography is completed while free-diving. Kelp forests tend to grow in shallow, nearshore waters. Their structure makes them naturally suited to breath-hold diving: sheltered, navigable, and close enough to slip into with minimal gear.

For us, free-diving is also a way of slowing down and being in relationship with the places we document. Every image begins with a breath, and with it, a moment of connection between body, ocean, and story.

Locations

  • South Africa

    The Great African Sea Forest

  • United Kingdom

    Great British Kelp Forests

  • Norway

    The Arctic Jungle

  • Japan

    Kombu Forests

  • New Zealand

    Rimurimu Forests

  • Chile

    Sea Forests at the End of the World

  • United States of America

    Sequoias of the Seas - TBC

Partners & Supporters

This work is made possible by the generous support of the Aileen Getty Foundation, whose commitment to the natural world has helped bring Great Ocean Forests to life.