Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
Join us for a coasteering adventure. Picture the coastline of Hong Kong Island – wild cliffs, hidden beaches and the busy sounds of dangerous waves.
You smell the ocean, as well as a bustling urban metropolis. Now imagine two people circumnavigating the full length of the coastline, rock climbing, jumping and swimming, hanging from cliffs to take water samples. Still not sure what coasteering is all about. You will find out in this episode.
In May 2017 Dutch-born Esther Röling and her husband Austrian-born Paul Niel set out on a one-week exploration to map out the pollution around the Hong Kong island waters. They collaborated with research institutes and tracked the water pollution levels using the Ocean Recovery Alliance’s Global Alert App. The Global Alert platform aims to tackle the issue of plastic waste on a global scale.
In this episode, you will hear their story.
Esther and Paul on their coastal cleanup adventure. Photo Credit: Esther Röling and Paul Niel
The preparations and the danger
“It was a long, tough journey with a lot of challenges to face, from extreme weather and strong currents, and also the mental exhaustion, but in the end, we prevailed,” says Esther. Together with Paul, Esther went on the Round the Island coasteering expedition to create a detailed map of Hong Kong Island’s biodiversity, water quality and coastal pollution.
“It takes months and months of preparation,” Paul says.
In this interview, the couple gives honest insights into what it takes to set out on an environmental impact adventure, and how to keep going despite dangers, doubts and challenges along the way. They also share what they would do differently if they could go back.
Coasteering is not for the faint-hearted
It is dangerous, and it takes guts as well as physical and mental preparation. They admit that there were moments during their expedition when they felt scared. I got goosebumps when Esther shared how they saw a Thunderstorm rolling in just when they found themselves at the most remote cliff of Hong Kong Island – totally unprotected.
Coasteering is not for the faint-hearted. Esther Röling out on the cliff. Photo Credit: Esther Röling, Paul Niel
Their motivation and goal
That their young daughter was in good hands with caretakers at home, made it easier for Esther, wearing her mum hat, to push on with their clear goal in mind.
“We want to show the world that there is so much pollution out there that we need to clean out,” Esther says.
It was also their daughter that kept them going, despite pain and doubts as this little adventurer even came out to see them at the campsite.
Cleaning up Hong Kong’s remote coastline
Just like Esther and Paul, people all over the globe are out and about on coastlines and waterways to geo-tag trash hotspots on the Global Alert App. This data helps to track pollution and to organise large-scale clean-ups. Recently, Esther and Paul set out on their first clean-up adventure. The results speak for themselves. Just take a look.
Look at those results! Their most recent coasteering adventure Clean Up was a huge success. Photo credit: Esther Röling, Paul Niel
The impact of their work is growing
After their successful clean-up, they encourage newcomers to join their impactful mission. They caught the attention of Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that featured them with a front page story about their impressive coastal clean-up efforts.
Coasteering adventure Cleanup featured on the front page of South China Morning Post
Working together as a couple is not always easy
Esther and Paul put a lot of strategies in place before setting out on their adventures. Their individual risk barriers are not the only topic they discuss beforehand. After they became parents they do evaluate even more carefully how far they are willing to go to reach their goals.
Lot’s of romance when recording the Podcast interview with the couple Esther Röling and Paul Niel.
Looking ahead
Their coasteering expedition was not their first adventure, and seeing the sparkle in their eyes when they share how well this last impact project went is proof to that it won’t be their last either.
Get out there and explore, says adventurer Esther Röling Share on X
Stay constantly curious, says changemaker Paul Niel Share on X
After listening to this episode, you will feel ready to go out on your own adventure of making an impact in the world. Join their mission!
#impACT
- Join their Facebook Group HK 125 Coastal here
- Like, share and follow Round the Island Coasteering Hong Kong on Facebook here to stay updated on upcoming clean-ups and exciting news from the adventurous couple.
- Paul is a very engaging speaker and speaks on disruptive, exponential technologies and lessons from his adventures. Get in touch with him here if you want to see him on your stage.
If you enjoyed this episode, you will also love hearing from Patrick Kosiol from Swapit who is promoting more sustainable living with his online marketplace Swapit. Him becoming a new dad has a lot to do with him starting this company. Listen here.
Don’t miss our upcoming episodes on Zero Waste living! Subscribe.
