Madison Pearl Edwards will make history as she sets off on her biggest adventure yet! The eleven-year-old travel and adventure blogger from iTravelBelize.com will snorkel the Belize Barrier Reef from the Northern end of the country in her home town of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, to the Southern end of the Barrier Reef in the Toledo District. She will be cleaning the Reef, collecting bottles, fishing nets, fishing lines, anchor ropes and other marine debris along the way. Madi and her team are scheduled to commence their journey today Sunday, February 12, 2017.
A team of four will accompany Madi on a sailboat which will serve as shelter for her during rest periods. The team will consist of Martin John Leslie a local tour guide and experienced sailor, who will be teaching her about the marine life that she encounters along the way.
This is not Madi’s first adventure with Martin John as she was on board the auxiliary vessel that followed “Kite to Point”, a journey in which MJ and a group of kite surfers followed a similar route from San Pedro to Placencia. Tina Kokkinis, nature lover and environmental activist, will be swimming along Madison. Her parents, Amber Edwards and Dorian Nuñez (the rest of the iTravel Belize team) will also accompany her and document her journey.
This adventure has been inspired by the Belizean community coming together to Save the Belize Barrier Reef against threats of Offshore Oil Exploration. Madi has made her stance clear from day one on this issue by creating videos for social media and even a homemade costume for halloween that clearly showed her feelings towards offshore oil in Belize.
Madison plans to continue her efforts in the protection of the reef by actively participating and supporting the Reef Angels in their marine clean up efforts. She hopes to inspire the community to continue to Say “No” to Offshore Oil in Belize by learning all that she can about the reef and helping to educate the community through a documentary of her adventure.
Madi: “Please don’t stay quiet, staying quiet says that you are ok with our sea life being sick or disappearing! Don’t be shy, know that you are doing it for your country! I love Belize, I love our Belize Barrier Reef and I say NO to offshore oil exploration!”
You can follow Madi’s adventure on www.iTravelBelize.com/Madi or on social media @iTravelBelize and @MadiBelize.
