Lucy Hunt

Lucy Hunt is a marine biologist and Ocean Impact Director of The Ocean Race. She has worked in ocean literacy for 20 years  and is currently driving the core ocean literacy programmes of the race such as Summits, Learning, Science and partnerships with purpose to help improve our relationship with the ocean and create positive action for the ocean by using the race's unique sporting platform.

Lucy has worked with The Ocean Race - an around the world sailing race- since 2017 and led the creation of two global award winning ocean literacy programmes for primary schools and youth with The Ocean Race The Ocean Race Learning programme creating teacher and student resources on how amazing the ocean is and how we can look after our blue planet and all be Champions for the Sea, as well as a youth programme called Generation Ocean which are available in 11 different languages and have now been used by over 220K students in 85 countries. She is undertaking a PhD on The Ocean Race’s influence on ocean literacy and pro environmental behaviour.

In 2014, she founded Sea Synergy Marine Awareness, Research & Activity Centre, in Co. Kerry where she is from, where the team are focused on connecting people of all ages with the sea, local marine biodiversity and conservation research and citizen science activities to help engage people with the surrounding marine environment. An advocate for the ocean, ocean literacy, marine ecotourism and conservation she is a marine biologist with a joint hons BSc degree in Marine biology/Zoology and a Masters in Marine Environmental Protection who sees the value in understanding our inherent connection with nature.

Having worked around the world in marine research projects on seagrass, coral biodiversity and restoration, carbon sequestration, marine mammal observations, shark research and ecotourism she has a great understanding of how projects work from the ground up.

Lucy is passionate about helping rural coastal communities thrive and knows that the sea can help in the process offering a top class experiential learning and much more. She previously led an EPA Green enterprise research project called MARplas engaging fishing communities in co design of marine plastic waste solutions. She has also worked on ‘Co designing for Resilience Iveragh’ in her community working with youth on marine topics related to the United Nations SDG’s 4 & 14 inclusively creating a toolkit to increase excitement and connection with the ocean for the wellbeing of people, place and planet! In 2019-2020 she lived and worked on a sailing boat in Antarctica for 3 months guiding tours to see wildlife!

Lucy has been nominated as an Ocean Hero and Ocean Warrior her social environmental enterprise; Sea Synergy Marine Awareness & Activity Centre has also won an Irish Marine Tourism & Leisure Award (2015,2016) Irish Responsible Tourism Award in Best Natural Heritage Tourism and Cahersiveen Civic Community Award (2024) an Outside Eco Hero Professionals Award (2025). She has been shortlisted for PwC IMAGE Business Woman of the Year Sustainability Champion, Kerry business woman of the year, and is local Champion for Mission Blue's Greater Skelligs Coast Hope Spot. Sea Synergy also offers the Irish Marine Institutes Marine Explorers programme in Kerry and is rolling the ocean literacy programme out to thousands of primary school children in Ireland helping them connect with the ocean. Lucy is Co-Chair of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network Education Working Group.