When families join our Meet the Sea Family Boat Trip, the first thing we do is not speed away from the harbour or point out luxury villas along the coast.
We start with something far more important: what lies beneath the surface.

Before anyone puts on a mask or steps into the water, our crew introduces our guests to Posidonia oceanica, often called Neptune grass: one of the most important, and least understood, ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea.

For us, this is not a side note. It is the foundation of everything that follows.

 
The forest of the sea 🌱

Posidonia is not seaweed. It is a flowering marine plant with roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit — and it plays a role in the sea that is comparable to the role forests play on land.

During our live onboard presentation, adapted for children and adults alike, we explain that Posidonia:

• Absorbs more carbon dioxide than any terrestrial forest of the same size
• Produces oxygen and acts as a natural filtering system, keeping Mediterranean waters clean and transparent
• Serves as a breeding ground and shelter for fish, molluscs and countless marine species
• Without Posidonia, the Mediterranean Sea as we know it simply would not exist.

Some of the Posidonia meadows around Ibiza are estimated to be over 100,000 years old, making them among the oldest living ecosystems on Earth.

Learning by seeing — and by feeling

We believe that real learning happens when information becomes experience.

That is why, during our guided snorkelling tour in the marine reserve of Conejera Island, our mission is not to rush, but to slow down.

Through slow-paced, carefully guided snorkelling, our crew helps children, especially those entering the sea for the first time, to:

• Observe the thickness and density of the Posidonia meadows
• See how the roots are firmly anchored to the seabed
• Notice how close these underwater prairies grow to the coastline
• It is through this calm rhythm that an emotional connection begins to form.
• Children don’t just hear that Posidonia is important: they see it, swim over it, and feel safe within it.

 
Protecting our beaches: even in winter!

One of the biggest surprises for many families is learning that Posidonia protects Ibiza’s beaches even when no one is swimming.

We explain how Posidonia meadows act as a natural breakwater, softening the force of winter storms and reducing coastal erosion.
Without these underwater prairies, waves would hit the coastline with far greater force, and Ibiza would lose sand much faster than it already does.

This is one of the reasons why Posidonia is key to preserving the island itself. In recognition of its importance, UNESCO declared the Posidonia meadows of Ibiza a World Heritage Site in 1999.

 A local curiosity: Posidonia and Ibiza’s old fincas

We also love sharing a lesser-known piece of local history.

For centuries, dried Posidonia washed up on Ibiza’s shores was collected and used in the construction of traditional fincas.
Mixed with ashes, it was used to insulate ceilings, keeping homes cool in summer and warm in winter.

As an added bonus, the natural salts and minerals in Posidonia acted as a bug repellent, making it a remarkably sustainable building material long before the word “sustainability” existed.

 Threats beneath the surface

Despite being protected, Posidonia faces serious threats.

During our presentations, we speak openly but in an age-appropriate way about:

• Pollution, particularly untreated wastewater entering the sea
• Anchors and chains from yachts, which can uproot meadows that take centuries to grow
• The still-uncertain but increasingly worrying effects of rising sea temperatures
• At Meet the Sea, we don’t just talk about this, we measure it.

Since 2020, we have been recording daily water temperatures around Conejera Island. In 2024, we measured 29°C, a record high that deeply concerns marine scientists in similar measurements around the world.

This concern is echoed by Miquel Tur, owner of Aquarium Cap Blanc, who shared in an interview with Meet the Sea that long-term temperature records inside the cave show a dramatic and accelerating rise in recent years.

These changes may have long-term consequences for Posidonia meadows and for the entire Mediterranean ecosystem.

 More than a sightseeing trip

Many boat trips show the coast. Very few take the time to teach what lives beneath it.

At Meet the Sea, our crew is actively involved: in the water, on the boat, and in conversation.
We don’t rush experiences. We guide them. We don’t just entertain, we educate through emotion, observation and respect.

If children leave our boat remembering one thing, we hope it is this: the sea is alive, ancient, fragile and worth protecting.

And it all starts with Posidonia.