The ocean hates you.

To be fair, it probably has its reasons.

Former Miami-based marine biologist turned comedian Forrest Shaw brings those reasons to the stage in The Ocean Hates You!, a science-based comedy show tackling climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, plastic waste, and humanity’s rather impressive ability to mess with the most important ecosystem on Earth.

Heavy stuff. Which is exactly why Shaw decided to make it funny.

“Most people care about these things, but between the propaganda designed to divide us and the doom scrolling on social media, people feel overwhelmed and discouraged,” Shaw says. “I wanted to find a way to talk about these subjects that was engaging instead of exhausting, so I chose comedy.”

Shaw comes to the material with more than jokes. Before pursuing comedy, he spent over a decade working as a marine and environmental biologist in Florida. He worked for Miami-Dade County, led its Manatee Protection Program, and managed water-quality and habitat-monitoring projects involving seagrass communities, coral reefs, and sea turtle nesting.

So, unlike most comedians complaining about the state of the planet, Shaw actually knows what the hell he’s talking about.

The result is part stand-up show, part science lesson, and part darkly comic love letter to an ecosystem that remains astonishingly resilient despite everything humans keep throwing at it. The evening also includes audience participation, trivia, and other surprises designed to make environmental science feel less like homework and more like a night out.

“Comedy allows people to let their guard down and connect or reconnect with topics that might feel heavy or hopeless,” Shaw says.

And Shaw has serious comedy credentials, too. He has appeared at Netflix Is A Joke Fest, Just For Laughs Montreal, and Moontower Comedy Festival, performed on Conan and Live at Gotham, and released his debut special, Poor Decisions.

There’s something wonderfully Miami about the whole proposition: a former local marine biologist standing onstage making people laugh about the beautiful body of water surrounding us while explaining all the ways we’re slowly destroying it.

The Ocean Hates You! may be the title, but Shaw’s message isn’t nihilistic. There is still extraordinary life beneath the surface, and there are still things individuals and communities can do to protect it.

Laugh first. Learn something. Maybe give the ocean one less reason to hate us.