The Ocean Still Has a Voice. Thanks to You.

1,000 subscribers. One clear message; these stories matter. Now I’m committing my future to telling them.

The ocean makes life on Earth possible. Yet it barely makes the news.

A few months ago, I made the quiet decision to start sharing what I know, about the sea, conservation, and what’s really happening below the surface.
No platform. No team. Just years of frontline experience, a stack of stories, and a desire to help people care more about the ocean.

Last week, somehow, Ocean Rising became one of the top 3 environmental newsletters in the world on Substack. It is still the only ocean-focused newsletter in the global top 100.

This isn’t just a milestone. It’s a signal. People care.

You care.

You’ve shown me that you want stories with depth, urgency, simplified science, and real-world impact. You want reporting that makes you think and feel, and act.

You’re finding that here.

Over 20,000 people across 80+ countries now read Ocean Rising each month.

So… where do we go from here?

The Quiet Promise

When I launched this project, I promised myself that if f 1,000 people subscribed, I’d take it as a sign that these stories matter. That the ocean still has a voice. That I would commit myself to Ocean Rising for the the long-term.

You proved it matters. Every read. Every reply. Every share. This community has brought it to life.

That’s why I’m opening up the paid tier. Not to gatekeep. To make this work sustainable, and to go even further.

🔓 What Stays Free (Always)

• The Deep Brief: your Friday roundup of essential ocean news

• The Voice for the Blue podcast

• Many of the core essays and frontline stories that matter most

🔐 What’s Coming to Paid Subscribers

• Deeper, long-form essays

• Book excerpts

• Exclusive podcast interviews

• Behind-the-scenes dispatches and investigative reports

Paid subscribers will receive early access, a few weeks before these pieces are made free to all.

This model keeps the most important stories open, while allowing me to do more ambitious, time-intensive work.

Powered by the Community

This is a one-person project, hours of research, writing and editing, often done between my job and raising my 11-month-old son.

Many of you have said this work helps you feel informed, inspired, or connected to something bigger. One of you put it best:

“I really recommend Luke McMillan’s Ocean Rising. Luke is an incredible communicator and it is now one of the emails I truly look forward to receiving.”
— Richard Hixson, Founding Member

That’s why I want to go deeper. I want to commission guests. Translate complex science. Build out new series. Investigate the stories no one else is telling.

That’s what your support makes possible.

I spent a long time considering whether to charge, and if so, how much.
In the end, I set the price at the lower end of Substack subscriptions: £5 a month.

Not because I think this work is worth less, but because I know many are struggling right now. I don’t want price to be a barrier for those who care.

This is about building something that lasts. Something that grows. For many years to come.

If you become a Founding Member, you’ll also get bonus content, early access, and a place at the heart of this growing global community.

This isn’t a paywalled club

It’s commons journalism, powered by those who can, so it remains accessible to those who can’t.

Whatever you choose, thank you for being here.

You’re not just a subscriber.

You’re part of something bigger.

Stay curious, we rise together.

Luke