In Israel, the summer solstice never really feels like the first day of summer. By June 21st, Israel has already been hot for months, and the longest day of the year feels more like a doorway into the very hottest stretch of the season. And it is only getting hotter with climate change.

When my husband and I spent our first year in our never‑renovated 1937 Bauhaus apartment, we had no air‑conditioning except for one sad portable unit that barely made a dent. I spent most of my free time wandering the air‑conditioned maze of Dizengoff Center (I still know that crazy mall like the back of my hand), or more often, escaping to the water.

Being in the water is the only real way to survive an Israeli summer. The Mediterranean beaches, the Kinneret, or a natural spring like Ein Lavan in Jerusalem, but the beaches are my favorite. Beach life is a part of Israeli culture and over the years I found my favorites.

Palmachim was one of them. A wild, pristine stretch of Mediterranean coastline, saved from development by the local community with SPNI’s help. That victory wasn’t just about stopping a resort — it was about protecting one of the last natural beaches in central Israel, a place where sea turtles still come ashore to nest and where the dunes breathe and shift with the wind.

Beach of Rishon LeZion from above. Photo by Dov Greenblat

Clownfish in the Eilat coral reef. Photo by Dr. Shai Oron

And then there’s Coral Beach in Eilat. I love snorkeling there, just past the bustle of the city. Eilat is honestly too hot for me in the summer, but my favorite spring family vacation was what we called “scuba camping.” We stayed at the SPNI Eilat Field School, crossed the road to the little PADI dive center, and spent our days in the water — my husband diving, my daughter and I snorkeling and exploring the reef. At night we’d return to our campsite, sun‑tired and salty. SPNI’s field schools make nature accessible in a way that feels both simple and magical.

The truth is, we were always chasing water. For all of Israel’s desert imagery, half of the country’s open nature space is actually marine. That’s why SPNI’s marine conservation program is called the Blue Half, a reminder that protecting Israel’s future means protecting its seas.

Israel’s seas quietly support life every day: they provide most of the country’s drinking water, help regulate climate, support tourism and coastal livelihoods, and offer millions a place of beauty and renewal. Israel’s seas are our “Blue Half”: the country’s largest and least protected natural asset. Just over a decade ago, only 0.3% of Israel’s seas were protected. Today, that figure has grown to 8%, thanks in large part to the Blue Half’s work.

So today, on the first day of summer, I want to shine a light on this work: protecting Israel’s beaches, open waters, and the incredible life they hold — sea turtles, dolphins, the once nearly extinct Mediterranean monk seals, and the astonishing diversity of fish and coral that make Israel’s waters so unique.

Some of the Blue Half’s biggest achievements have come from reforming Israel’s fishing practices — especially ending destructive bottom trawling in key areas. Trawling the seafloor is one of the most devastating yet invisible forms of environmental harm. It’s worse than clear‑cutting a forest, scraping up everything in its path just to catch a few fish. SPNI has been at the forefront of changing these policies and helping fish populations begin to recover.

The monk seal, nicknamed “Maya,” has been observed on the beaches of Rosh Hanikra since 2014. Photo by Dr. Mia Elser

The Eilat coral reef. Photo by Dr. Shai Oron

But the sheer scale of Israel’s coastline and open waters is impossible for staff to monitor alone. That’s why SPNI created the SeaWatch app, which allows anyone — swimmers, sailors, divers, beach walkers — to report threats in real time. SeaWatch creates a nationwide network of people actively protecting Israel’s seas. Whether it’s a sea turtle nest, an injured animal, illegal dumping, or a drifting ghost net, thousands of extra eyes are helping SPNI respond quickly and prevent harm.

And while we don’t talk about the Blue Half nearly enough, SPNI’s marine legacy goes back decades. One of SPNI’s first major victories in the 1950s was using an old Ottoman law to protect the coral reef in Eilat — a reef that, remarkably, is doing better than most others around the world as oceans warm. Leave it to Israel’s reef to be the resilient one.

As we step into summer, I hope you get a chance to swim, or at least dip your toes into a natural body of water. It’s funny that we call our planet “Earth” when it’s actually 75% water. And when you support Nature Israel, you’re supporting the Blue Half — the part of Israel that shimmers, splashes, and sustains life in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

Wishing you a happy summer solstice,

Rachel Canar
Executive Director