As a Marine combat engineer, Ray Avaizian fought insurgents, built fortifications and blew things up, often reshaping and scorching the battlefield environments. But things changed when he was assigned to Hawaii and began spending more time exploring nature.
He discovered a passion for the environment while spearfishing as he got a close-up view of the impact of pollution on beloved reefs. Marine Corps veteran Ray Avaizian is the chair of the Oahu chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. “
My favorite dive spots where you would see abundance of fish — uhu, you’d see tako, you’d see goat fish — are just dry now,” he said. “Like there’s no fish in those areas.” Avaizian has since left the Marines and devoted his life to a new mission — protecting Hawaii’s beaches and ocean environments.
Today he’s the chair of the Oahu chapter of the Surfider Foundation and runs his own educational organization Seed.World where he teaches students about tiny plastic particles known as microplastics. He’s also been working with a team of scientists using devices he invented to learn more about the prevalence of plastic on Hawaii’s beaches . “The change from the military to the environmental side came about because […]
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