Be Incandescent.

Poet · Marine Scientist · PADI Diver · Ocean Storyteller

Currently in Peru

My Story Work With Me
The journey
Peru → Travelling → Australia → Japan

"Shower with gusto.
Spread your butter
with elegance."

— Joe Kerven

Who Is Joe Kerven

Marine scientist.
Surf instructor.
Poet. Adventurer.

I graduated with a First Class degree in Conservation Biology & Ecology from the University of Exeter. I've helped establish Indonesia's first shark nursery, restored coral reefs in the Gili Islands, surveyed seagrass meadows in Croatia, and filmed some of the UK's rarest marine wildlife — one video hit 213K views.

I've been a Head Surf Instructor in Cornwall for five years, a ski instructor in the Canadian Rockies, and I spent last summer living in a van on the coast. Right now I'm headed to Peru as a rainforest guide. The wild leads. I follow.

I also write — copy, captions, and poetry that people tell me makes them feel something. Scientist. Storyteller. Somewhere in the ocean. This is the home base.

BSc First Class Honours PADI Rescue Diver ISA Surf Instructor CSIA Ski Instructor Marine Ecologist Shark Conservationist Poet & Writer
Say Hello →
213K Top video views
42.6K TikTok likes
1st Class Honours
5yr Surf instructor
6+ Countries lived & worked
∞ Good reasons to go

Content & UGC

Scroll-stopping content
from the places most
people only dream about

Ocean. Rainforest. Mountains. Real environments, real experiences — content that performs because it's genuinely lived.

Marine Wildlife · 213K views

Filming some of the UK's only dangerous jellyfish. This is why I study the ocean.

Surf · 134K views

Beginner surf lesson on the Atlantic coast.

▶
Coming from Peru 🇵🇪
Rainforest · Coming soon

Amazon rainforest — new chapter, new content.

▶
Ocean 🌊
Ocean Life

Life underwater — what I see when I dive.

Watch More on TikTok → Commission Content →

UGC & Content Creation

Content that performs
because it's genuinely
lived

Most UGC creators rent a studio or film in their bedroom. I film underwater with sharks, in the Amazon rainforest, on Atlantic surf breaks, and on mountain slopes in Japan.


I'm a PADI certified scientific diver, a qualified surf instructor, and a First Class marine biologist. When I feature your outdoor or lifestyle brand, it's not acting. It's Tuesday.


Brands pay me to create short-form video content they can run as paid ads or post organically. I handle everything — concept, filming, editing, delivery.

01

Underwater & Ocean Content

Snorkelling, diving, surf lifestyle. Authentic ocean environments most creators can't access. Perfect for water sports, dive gear, surf brands, and ocean conservation organisations.

02

Adventure Travel & Nature

Rainforest, mountains, remote coastlines. I'm always somewhere interesting — and I'm always filming. Tourism boards, outdoor gear, travel and lifestyle brands.

03

Hook-Driven Ad Creative

Short-form content built to stop the scroll. I understand what performs because I study it obsessively. Formatted for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and paid social.

Examples

Recent content & brand work

▶
Marine Wildlife
Jellyfish — 213K views
▶
Surf
Surf lesson — 134K views
▶
Ocean Life
Ocean lifestyle content
▶
Coming — Peru 🇵🇪
Rainforest — coming soon

Ideal brand fit

Surf & Water Sports Dive & Snorkel Gear Outdoor & Adventure Conservation Orgs Tourism Boards Travel Brands Sustainable Lifestyle GoPro & Camera Gear Wetsuit & Surf Apparel
Commission UGC →

Writing

Words that make
people feel things
& brands convert

I write two kinds of things. Copy that sells — landing pages, emails, social captions, brand content for outdoor and conservation companies. And poetry that stops people mid-scroll and makes them feel alive.

My science background means I research properly. My life in the ocean means I write authentically. My surf instructor years mean I know how to communicate with real humans.

Hire Me To Write →

The future isn't fixed in stone.
It simply hasn't been written yet.

What changes your future
is what you do now.

Make yourself magnificent
in every tiny thing you do.

Shower with gusto.
Spread your butter with elegance.

Dance in that kitchen
with such ferocity
the house threatens
to dance right alongside you.

Keep your eyes on the stars, fool.
You're shining too bright
to be dimmed by clouds.

Be incandescent.

— Joe Kerven
Read all poetry →
Brand Copy

Outdoor & Conservation Brands

Landing pages, website copy, and brand voice for brands in the surf, dive, travel, and conservation space. Written by someone who actually lives this life.

Request samples →
Social & Email

Captions, Campaigns & Email Sequences

Social captions that feel human. Email sequences that retain. Campaign copy that converts. All grounded in real outdoor lifestyle experience.

Request samples →

The Journal

Dispatches from
wherever I am

Writing from the road. Ocean reflections, poetry, personal development, and the occasional dispatch from somewhere without great WiFi.

Poetry

"Be Incandescent"

On making yourself magnificent in every tiny thing — from the way you shower to the way you dance in your kitchen at 7am.

Read →
Ocean

What the jellyfish taught me about going viral

213,000 people watched me swim with dangerous jellyfish. Here's what I learned about authentic content — and about the ocean.

Coming soon →
Adventure

Why I left ecology to go to Peru

I had a good job, a First Class degree, and a career mapped out. Then I booked a one-way ticket to the Amazon.

Coming soon →

Work With Me

Three ways to
work together

01

UGC & Content Creation

Short-form video content shot in real environments — ocean, rainforest, surf, mountains. Shot in real environments — because that's where I live. Ideal for outdoor, travel, surf, dive, conservation and lifestyle brands.

  • Underwater & ocean filming
  • Adventure travel integrations
  • Hook-driven TikTok & Reels
  • Product placement that fits
  • Available globally whilst travelling

Filmed by a PADI certified scientific diver & First Class marine biologist

Enquire →
02

Copywriting & Brand Writing

Words written by someone who actually lives in the world your customers aspire to. Science-backed, ocean-tested, human-sounding copy for brands that want to say something real.

  • Website & landing page copy
  • Email sequences
  • Social media captions
  • Blog & long-form content
  • Brand voice development

Written by a First Class BSc graduate, surf instructor & ocean professional

Enquire →
03

Brand Partnerships

Long-term collaborations with brands whose values align with mine — ocean conservation, outdoor adventure, sustainable travel, surf culture. If your brand lives in this world, let's talk.

  • Ambassador partnerships
  • Campaign creation
  • Conservation & ocean brands
  • Tourism boards & travel brands
  • Surf, dive & outdoor gear

Gold Duke of Edinburgh · 6+ countries lived & worked · conservation researcher

Enquire →

Get In Touch

Let's make
something worth
talking about

Whether you're a brand looking for content, a person who wants to talk about the ocean, or you just want to say hello — my inbox is open.

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