Some of you will have noticed the blue fingernail Ollie has been sporting for the best part of 3 months now.  Those who were intrigued probably asked what the story behind it was/is, but for those who hadn’t noticed, or who were too polite/embarrassed to ask, here is what it all means…

Basically, Ollie & Christie are in the throws of putting together a mental health and well-being campaign centred around the idea that we all feel a bit down, or blue, at times, and one of the best ways to work through it is to chat to someone who will simply listen, and not judge.  They’re calling the campaign BlueToo, as a play on the idea of Bluetooth being so ubiquitous to our lives now that our phones, and other devices are always listening, but aren’t sympathetic to our needs – we’ve all felt blue too at some point, so we can do better!

So where does the blue fingernail come from?  There are a few answers to that, and the truth lies somewhere in the combination of them all.  Firstly, Ollie & Christie have young daughters, who wanted to paint Mummy & Daddy’s nails, and being dutiful parents (aka suckers) they agreed to this.  Ollie did put a caveat on it though – just the one fingernail!  You see Ollie had been following another campaign which was doing this very thing, the Polished Man – a campaign to end violence against women & children.  After hearing an interview with Chris Hemsworth, where he discussed painting one of his nails to support the campaign, and how he felt it was important, as a girl-dad, to show his daughters and everyone else that the stereotypical concepts of manliness are out-dated and irrelevant, and a “man-icure” is a strong way to subtly support important causes, Ollie was inspired to take part.

However, what Ollie discovered was that more than anything else, the painted nail was a conversation starter.  Ending violence is a worthy cause, but sometimes you need to start smaller to get more traction.  The blue nail worked like a bartender’s dish cloth, and suddenly people were opening up to Ollie, sharing their stories, and allowing him to share his own as well.

In mashing all those ideas up together, BlueToo was born out of the gesture of holding up his blue painted ring finger as a sign of openness and willingness to listen.  A not-quite-middle finger to the idea of having to ignore your worries and problems, keep them to yourself, and suffer in silence.  F&%k that - instead seek out people who will listen and support you.

So, what does this mean for Aquatic Adventures, and you as Aquaholics club members and newsletter subscribers?  Nothing really.  If you choose to ignore it, your lives stay the same.  But, if you do need someone to talk to, and a safe space to do so, then the dive store is there, and Ollie & Christie will listen.  And if you do want to be a part of what they’re doing then you can paint a nail blue too (if you’re happy to be someone’s sounding board), or very soon there will be a website up and running with other suggestions regarding how to participate – www.bluetoo.org