June 15, 2026
Freediver Kayleigh Slowey: “Underwater, everything slows down”
BY: Sophie Fresson
Topics: Sustainable Fishing
For most of us, the impacts of overfishing happen out of sight. Beneath the waves, marine habitats are changing in ways many of us don’t get to regularly witness firsthand.
But for Cornwall-based freediver Kayleigh Slowey, those changes are impossible to ignore.
Through her time diving in UK seas, Kayleigh has seen both the pressures facing marine life, and the incredible resilience of the ocean when it’s given the chance to recover.
At Oceana UK, we’re campaigning to end overfishing in UK seas. Kayleigh’s words are a powerful reminder of why protecting our ocean from this threat matters. Not just for wildlife, but for us all.
Finding peace beneath the surface
Kayleigh’s relationship with the ocean started early.
“I’ve always lived by the ocean and had a good relationship with it,” she says. “Surfing with my dad and growing up around the water made it feel familiar.”
She first discovered freediving while studying underwater photography at university. Initially, it was simply a practical part of her creative work – a way to access the underwater world she wanted to capture.
But it soon became something much deeper.
“Freediving went from a tool to something I genuinely needed,” she explains. “Underwater, everything slows down. There’s a kind of stillness that’s hard to find anywhere else. That’s where I started to feel real peace, and my connection with the ocean deepened massively.”
The hidden reality of overfishing
Unlike sudden environmental disasters, overfishing can be difficult to spot as the changes happen over many years. As Kayleigh says, “the changes don’t always feel dramatic, until you’ve spent years in the same place and can spot the warning signs.”
“Around Cornwall, you notice subtle shifts in structure rather than obvious collapse. Some traditionally common species feel less present or harder to find, and there’s a general sense that ecosystems aren’t as stable as they used to be.”
Despite the changes happening slowly, they signal mounting pressure on marine wildlife from threats like overfishing. The danger comes when these shifts become so normalised that they mask the incoming collapse, hence why we need to act now, before it’s too late.
Signs of hope
Despite the challenges facing our seas, Kayleigh has also witnessed powerful examples of recovery.
One species in particular stands out: Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Once almost entirely absent from UK waters due to overfishing, bluefin tuna are now increasingly being spotted again off the Cornish coast.
“Scientists link this comeback at least in part to tighter international fishing controls and improving prey populations,” Kayleigh says. “It’s a clear example that marine species can recover when pressure is reduced.”
Their return is proof that conservation works – and that when governments take action to reduce fishing pressure, ocean wildlife can rebound.
Why overfishing impacts us all
For people who may never dive beneath the surface themselves, these issues can sometimes feel faraway.
But Kayleigh believes the ocean affects all of us, whether we realise it or not.
“You don’t have to dive to be connected to it,” she says. “The ocean is part of everyday life — what’s in it, what’s taken from it, and how healthy it is all feeds back into communities on land.”
“Even if you never see it, you’re still relying on it in some way.”
Help protect UK seas
The UK Government has promised to protect our seas – but overfishing is still allowed throughout the UK’s waters.
At Oceana UK, we’re calling for stronger protections to end overfishing and safeguard marine life for future generations.
Add your voice to the campaign by taking our overfishing e-action today.
Hear more from Kayleigh below, and follow her on Instagram here.