Silindile “Mama Sli” Mbuyazi will be honoured with the 2026 National Geographic Wayfinder Award on 18 June in Washington, DC.

• Silindile “Mama Sli” Mbuyazi is the recipient of the 2026 National Geographic Wayfinder Award.
• After tragically losing her brother to drowning, she turned to diving and now teaches local communities about water safety and ocean awareness.
• She has trained more than 150 divers to date and continues to inspire young people to pursue marine-related careers.

South African dive instructor and marine teacher Silindile Mbuyazi has been named the 2026 Wayfinder Award recipient and is set to receive the award at the National Geographic Explorers Festival on 18 June in Washington, DC.

The Wayfinder Award, presented by Kia, is an honour bestowed each year to 15 visionaries under two conditions: recipients must have outstanding achievements in science, conservation, education, technology, and storytelling; and these achievements must further society’s mission to highlight and protect the wonders of the world.

Fondly known as Mama Sli, the dive instructor and marine teacher said receiving this recognition is a dream come true.

“It means a lot to me because I am the first black South African woman to have this award, [and] getting this award in the US is a lot. I always wanted to serve my local community. I want to do lifeguard [work] to help [prevent] drownings on the beach.”

As someone who has overcome her fear of the ocean, Mbuyazi said the award is personal and special to her.

“To do this as a black South African woman means a lot to me. I want to [help] my community because there have been a lot of drownings in my area.”

Her mission is deeply personal as her brother lost his life to drowning. She learnt to dive in hopes of finding his remains, but instead fell in love with the ocean. She gathered vital knowledge from this that she would later use to educate her family and others in her community, making them aware that currents – not superstitions as cultural stories suggest – were the cause of ocean drownings.

According to Mbuyazi, the award does not belong only to her but also to her community, to every daring woman who is fearless, and to the ocean that taught her to be resilient.

“I hope my story inspires others to become custodians of our precious marine ecosystems and to see the ocean not as a source of fear, but as a vital part of our heritage and future.”

Mama Sli will be receiving the honour for her transformative efforts in redefining ocean access.

“As an African, it’s very important to learn water skills before you go near water. I go to schools and educate young children and tell them about the ocean tide that I was not told about [growing up]. It is to make them aware. We’ve been told [superstitious stories] by our grandmothers on why we need to avoid the ocean and about why people were pulled into the ocean,” she said.

“Nobody told me about the tides and that the tide is pulling people into the ocean.”

Mama Sli, who is a dual-certified Scuba Schools International (SSI) and Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) dive instructor, also works as an ocean filmmaker to further educate and illustrate what happens underwater.

She works alongside the Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF) and leads NEWF Dive Labs, a programme that provides access and opportunities for black African science and conservation storytellers to attain internationally accredited dive qualifications.

“I used to go to the community cinema to show [learners] films that we do underwater,” she said. “We take all that footage that we shoot underwater to schools to show them the beauty of our ocean that I was never told about or experienced as a kid.”

Having trained more than 150 divers, Mama Sli added that her work has encouraged many to pursue marine-related careers. When she grew up, career options were limited, and many were encouraged to pursue conventional careers such as being a social worker, doctor, or police officer.

“They are interested in the water because they know once they finish school, they will come to Mama Sli and do some swimming lessons, and they will be strong in the water,” she said in excitement. “This year, we have 30 local kids who are learning water skills.”

READ | This coffee shop employs deaf people and has reached 10 years, 500 000 hours and the UK

Mama Sli said life in the ocean and how there is so much to discover sparked her interest in ocean conservation and storytelling.

“It’s very interesting. I know the behaviour of animals, I know where they live, and I know what the best time is for each animal, so I can guarantee that if we dive, we can see them underwater.”

According to Mama Sli, some of the biggest challenges she has faced in her work include being an African woman, being undermined by people who did not believe she had the skills and not having a qualification in the beginning.

“Love your work as you love yourself, do your work with your clean heart, and never listen to people on the side because there were a lot of naysayers.”

If you have an inspiring story to tell, email [email protected].