When 15-year-old Shalise Leesfield was named Sea Hero of the Year by Scuba Diving magazine in 2022, she’d already secured local government grants to tackle marine pollution and even helped champion a Mission Blue Hope Spot at Fish Rock. Her clear vision for the $5,000 Seiko prize: enhance marine biodiversity in Port Macquarie, Australia with Living Seawalls. These 3D-printed tiles mimic natural nooks and crannies, allowing retrofit of bare seawalls so native species finally have places to settle and thrive.

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Three years later, in April 2025, she brought her vision to life. Leesfield ordered four distinct designs—hexagonal modules, swim-throughs, crevices and honeycomb panels—to recreate the habitat of Australian rock pools. Crevices hold water at low tide, honeycombs trap algae, and swim-throughs let small fish dart inside.

Biodiversity boomed once the tiles were installed in her family’s marina. “We had a couple of river snails—a few different species of river snails—and then we had some crabs come in as well, and...a few limpets. There was the fish that liked to come in and have a bit of a pick at the algae that started to grow,” Leesfield says. There were “even stingrays coming up to check it out.”

Installation required careful planning and preparation. She spent approximately a week on the design process, laying out mock-up designs on paper to maximize both visual and ecological effectiveness. “Not only are they helpful for biodiversity, but they’re also aesthetic. They blend art and science, and it’s this amazing visual,” she says.

Actual installation took about one day, requiring specialized equipment and the help of her father’s contacts who work in the trades. They firmly secured the tiles using heavy-duty drills and bolts—four per tile—to withstand local tide patterns.

Shortly after the installation, severe flooding tested the seawalls’ durability. “Pretty much as soon as they went up, our area did, unfortunately, flood. No one expected it,” Leesfield says. Despite initial concern, the seawalls proved remarkably resilient. “It was very surprising. All the tiles were absolutely fine,” she says.

The seawalls quickly became a point of local curiosity too. “We’ve had neighbors come up, people from down the street asking what they are,” Leesfield shares, pleased the project has given her yet another opportunity to increase awareness about marine conservation in her community.

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Looking ahead, Leesfield hopes her Living Seawalls serve as an inspiring model for coastal communities globally. Her advice for others interested in similar projects? “My top tip is to fundraise; it’s the best way to get a project like this off the ground… And I’m always happy to help anyone, whether in my neighborhood or farther afield, by explaining the process and guiding them through it.”