Founder's Journey

About The Founder

Hi there! I’m Mariam Weyand, a French marine biologist and scuba instructor. Here is a little bit about me:

After graduating in applied Marine Biology in 2015, I didn't feel ready for a PhD nor to work. I felt the need to go explore the world and learn more about life and myself. Since this moment, I've been mainly travelling/living in Latin America and I've been lucky to see some of the amazing wonders of our planet, from the ocean depths to lush rainforests. These experiences have inspired me to focus on regeneration and conservation, and to advocate for sustainable practices.

During my experience working for the conservation of sea turtles with Osa Conservation NGO, my passion and love for nature and its inhabitants just kept growing. And now, since 2022, I gathered my courage and decided to take the jump and move to the next level in scuba diving (which at the time was the Advanced Open Water course). While doing it, I realized how amazing it feels to breathe underwater while observing and connecting with this marvelous world. I thus decided to become an Intructor and step by step, I kept training and went all the way to Assistant Instructor Trainer and Extended Range Trimix Instructor (with sidemount & twinset).

Spending this time training myself and training others helped me integrate more in depth this beautiful sport that is scuba diving. Now that I acquired the knowledge and experience that I wanted, my motivation stands in helping the ocean ecosystems and its inhabitants.

With over 1,100 dives and a background in marine research, sea turtle conservation, and environmental education, I feel deeply connected to the sea and all that depends on it. My motivation is clear: to protect and regenerate our oceans for future generations, starting with the reefs.

With each dive, each lesson taught, and each conservation effort undertaken, I’m working to build a brighter, more sustainable future. What started as curiosity became a mission — to protect, regenerate, and share the magic of the reef through Reef Matters.