making ocean recreation in Hawaii
safe & Sustainable
Ocean recreation can be a fun and eco-friendly way for humans to learn about marine life and experience life-changing underwater adventures in Hawaii.
Every year, more people travel to Hawaii to experience whales, dolphins, sharks, manta rays, and other marine life in their natural habitat.
But there are too many people and not enough oversight. This is harming the environment, hurting and killing marine life, and even leading to fatal accidents involving visitors and crew.
Our current focus at Hawaii Ocean Watch is on manta ray tourism.
Contrary to other branches of ocean recreation, manta ray tourism is completely unregulated - and this has harrowing consequences for everyone involved.
How we aim to make ocean recreation safe and sustainable:
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Promoting the establishment and enforcement of clear regulations for tour operators
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Supporting marine life tour operators and their crew with education and training
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Providing ocean lovers with a greenlist of activity providers that adhere to Tour Operator Standards
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Our mission
The marine life that you love to see and experience in Hawaii is under duress.
Both marine life and people are being harmed by an industry that is oversaturated. Overworked and inexperienced crew members guide unaware and often unskilled participants into an ocean that is full of distractions and dangers, sometimes with fatal consequences.
While there are great organizations and passionate people already advocating for specific animals, cleaning up the oceans, or taking action to reduce human impact on our seas… we focus specifically on ocean recreation in Hawaii.
Our primary mission is to establish safe and sustainable interaction between people and marine life so underwater creatures can be enjoyed, but not harmed, by humans.
Help us protect Hawaii’s marine life by teaching people how to do better - and by putting regulations in place so the whole industry becomes safer and more sustainable.
in the media
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Scientific research related to ocean tourism
Our Projects
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Regulation of manta ray tourism
Putting rules in place that make it easy for activity providers to offer a safe, sustainable experience
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Manta Activity Providers Greenlist
An overview of tour operators who share our vision and endeavour to “do no harm”
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Maritime Skills training
Providing ocean recreation crew and boat captains with relevant training and support
More background information
Help us make ocean recreation in Hawaii safe & Sustainable
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Become a volunteer
We’re all full of passion, but short on time. If you can spare a couple of hours (or more!) regularly for this cause, we need your help
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Raise awareness
Tell your friends and family about what’s happening in Hawaii - and help them make an informed decision when booking a manta ray swim
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Make a donation
A small donation can go a long way! With very small overhead costs, most of your contribution goes directly to our projects.