Insights about marine conservation issues around the globe and innovative solutions that we can all get involved in
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13 Inspirational Scuba Diving Quotes
As scuba junkies, we’re big believers that diving is more than just a sport or hobby – it’s an opportunity to explore a hidden world filled with incredible beauty and unfathomable adventures. Beneath the ocean’s surface, we’ve experienced moments of surreal peace, unexpected discovery and a connection with nature that’s difficult to describe in words. …
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Regenerative Tourism: Is This The Future of Travel?
For the last decade, sustainable tourism has been a buzz word and it’s something we talk about a lot here at EcoOceanEscapes. It reflects a global concern around climate change and mitigating the negative impacts of our travel obsession. Sustainable travel is largely framed around minimising damage by doing things like reducing plastic waste, opting…
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Can Tourism Save Coral Reefs? Destinations Getting It Right
From reef taxes and visitor caps to Indigenous stewardship, a growing number of destinations are proving that tourism doesn’t have to destroy coral ecosystems – it can help restore them instead. Despite occupying less than 1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs support roughly a quarter of all marine life – a statistic we find…well…staggering!…
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How to Be a Zero-Waste Traveller During Your Ocean Adventures
After countless ocean adventures all around the globe, we strongly believe there’s something uniquely restorative about the ocean. Perhaps it’s the salty air, the steady rhythm of the waves or the enchanting worlds that lie just below the surface (or a combination of all three), but we always return to the “real world” with a…
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How Tourism Is Impacting Coral Triangle Reefs (+ How Are Divers Implicated)
Stretching across Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, the Coral Triangle encompasses some of the world’s most exhilarating dive destinations. It contains around 76% of the world’s coral species (the diversity is staggering) and is often referred to as the “Amazon of the Seas”. Added to that, the region…
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Want to Be a More Sustainable Scuba Diver? Here’s How
Scuba diving opens a window into another world, offering a front-row seat for exploring kaleidoscopic reefs and coming face-to-face with curious creatures. Here at EcoOceanEscapes, we consider it a privilege few experiences can match. But beneath the beauty or our underwater ecosystems lies a growing crisis. Rising temperatures, acidification and plastic pollution are reshaping marine…
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Engaging Citizen Science Projects for Divers + How to Get Involved
Every dive is an opportunity, not just to explore our diverse ocean environments, but to contribute to ocean science. Around the world, recreational divers are helping researchers monitor coral bleaching, track shark populations, document marine debris and even identify new species. Imagine stumbling across a species that no one has ever seen before! Through citizen…
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Blue Carbon Destinations: 5 Travel Spots Protecting Mangroves and Seagrass
If you’ve never heard of “blue carbon”, you’re forgiven. It’s a term we’re just getting acquainted with too. But it’s at the centre of a conservation movement that is rapidly gaining momentum. It’s a movement we think is of particular interest to sustainably-minded surfers and divers. “Blue carbon” ecosystems – mangroves, seagrass meadows and coastal…
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Surfing and Environmental Activism: A Growing Movement
Surfing has always been more than a sport. It’s a culture shaped by natural forces – tides, winds, swells – and a lifestyle that depends on healthy ocean environments. So it’s no surprise that surfers are often engaged environmental activists, at both a local and global scale. As we’ve travelled around the world, we’ve loved…
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Sustainable Snorkelling Tips for Ocean Advocates
You don’t need a scuba certification to fall in love with the ocean. Snorkelling is an equally magnificent way to explore coral reefs, seagrass meadows and the marine life that calls them “home”. In fact, snorkelling is often a gateway to scuba diving. Or sometimes, it’s the destination. We all snorkelled long before we ever donned…
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How to Be a More Responsible Underwater Photographer
In recent decades, photography has become unbelievably accessible. Almost everyone carries a camera around with them everyday in the form of a smartphone. Technological improvements have also made underwater photography far more accessible, resulting in powerful images of a world that’s inaccessible to many. A single image of a healthy reef, a shark passing through…
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How Coral Nurseries Work (And How Divers Can Join Planting Programs)
Coral reefs support an extraordinary diversity of marine life, and as divers, being able to explore them is one of life’s great privileges. But coral reefs are also among the most threatened habitats on the planet. Pollution, destructive fishing practices and climate change-induced coral bleaching are all having a devastating impact. In response, coral nurseries…
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10 Easy Ways Surfers and Divers Can Protect the Ocean While Travelling
For surfers and divers, the ocean isn’t just a destination. Often, it’s the reason we travel, full stop. But the very act of travelling across the globe to chase waves or incredible underwater experiences comes with an environmental cost. There’s the carbon footprint of air travel, the overdevelopment of coastlines for waterfront resorts and the…
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Reef-Safe Sunscreen: Does It Really Make a Difference?
If you’ve been on a dive liveaboard recently or stayed at a sustainable surf resort, you may have been advised to bring only “reef-safe sunscreen”. This request is often included in trip dossiers and/or mentioned by dive/surf guides before heading into the water. These days, there’s a consensus amongst the ocean-loving community that reef-safe sunscreen…
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The Biggest Threats Facing Surf Breaks Worldwide
We’re as guilty as the next surfer for taking our breaks for granted. They’re our playgrounds – firing up one day and flat the next, but always with another swell on the horizon. But the reality is, surf breaks are delicate coastal systems shaped by geology, tides, sand movement and the overall health of marine…
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Shark Conservation: How to Dive Responsibly With Sharks
Sharks have roamed our oceans for more than 400 million years (yes, they’re older than dinosaurs). Today, there are more than 400 different species, ranging from tiny dwarf lantern sharks to predatory great whites and tiger sharks. Unfortunately, many face an uncertain future. This is due to habitat loss, bycatch and demand for shark fins,…
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Top Ocean Conservation Apps For Surfers and Divers
As surfers and divers, we experience the ocean in a deeply personal way. We see coral bleaching up close, notice changes in water quality and witness the impact of plastic pollution firsthand. So how can we use this first-hand knowledge and local insights for good? The reality is that you don’t need to be a…
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Ocean Plastic Pollution and the Role of Divers in Clean-Up Efforts
Plastic pollution is one of the most visible and destructive threats facing our oceans today. From floating bottles and ghost fishing nets to microplastics embedded in coral reefs, plastic waste has reached even the most remote dive sites on the planet. As international divers, we’ve seen the issue of plastic pollution around the globe –…
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Overtourism in Dive Destinations: Are We Destroying Our Reefs?
If you’re a diver or snorkeller, you don’t need reminding that coral reefs are among the most magnificent places on Earth. The colours, the abundance, the movement – it’s hypnotic at times! But coral reefs are also among the most fragile ecosystems on our planet and human actions are a threat. As dive tourism grows…
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Inspiring Citizen Science Projects for Surfers + How to Get Involved
As surfers, we are intimately connected to the ocean – its rhythms, its wildlife and its health. Because of this relationship, many of us are looking for meaningful ways to protect the marine environments we love. One of the simplest and most impactful ways we can do this is by joining citizen science projects. These…
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Understanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Why divers should care
If you’ve spent time underwater (as a diver or snorkeller), you’ve probably noticed something: not all sites are beacons of health. Some reefs appear vibrant and full of life, while others show signs of stress – broken coral, few fish or algae-covered rocks. One of the biggest factors shaping the health of our oceans is…
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Eco-Friendly Diving: How to Be a Sustainable Scuba Advocate
Understand the environmental impacts of diving and sustainable scuba practices in this comprehensive guide to eco-friendly diving. Any diver will tell you that being underwater is an incredible experience. It’s a world that not everyone has the opportunity to explore and the encounters we have with marine creatures can be life-changing. Watching manta rays soar…
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Sustainable Surfing: 7 Easy Ways to Be an Eco-Friendly Surfer
As surfers, the ocean is our playground, which is why protecting it is so important. More and more boardriders are waking up to the reality that our everyday actions can have a big impact on our marine environment. And in response, many want to do something about it. From your choice of surfboard to the…
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7 Easy Ways to Be a Responsible Scuba Diver + Ocean Advocate
Scuba diving exposes us to a wonderful array of creatures, from colourful nudibranchs to magnificent mantas and inquisitive octopi. It also allows us to experience incredible underwater environments and landscapes that don’t exist above the ocean’s surface. But many of these ecosystems face mounting threats – warming waters, acidifying oceans and swirls of plastic trash…
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Neoprene Wetsuits: Environmental Impacts + Alternatives
Are neoprene wetsuits bad for the environment? Discover why neoprene isn’t doing our environment any favours and sustainable alternatives for eco-conscious surfers. Providing insulation and protection, wetsuits are an essential item. This is particularly true if you’re surfing and diving in cool-climate environments, like us! On most days, we don’t venture out in anything thinner…
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What is Green Fins? Sustainable Dive Tourism in Action
Want to reduce your environmental impact while diving and snorkelling? Discover everything you need to know about Green Fins and the certification process for operators. Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, home to species you won’t find anywhere else in the ocean. Every time we dive or snorkel, it…
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STOKE Certification: Battling Greenwashing in Surf Tourism
What is STOKE certification? Discover its role in battling greenwashing in surf tourism + STOKE-certified resorts for your next surf trip. With so much greenwashing and the word “sustainability” appearing everywhere, it can be hard to know if a business is genuinely eco-conscious. The same applies when it comes to surf resorts. Are they really…
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What is PADI AWARE? A Scuba-Led Movement for Marine Life
What is PADI AWARE? Discover everything you need to know about this scuba-led movement to protect and preserve our marine environments. Uniting scuba divers worldwide in a bid to protect our oceans, the PADI AWARE Foundation is a nonprofit that champions marine conservation. Through their partnership with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), they…
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10 Sustainable Surf Organisations to Follow in 2026
Want to leave your mark on marine conservation? Discover 10 sustainable surf organisations to follow in 2026 and ensure the long-term health of our ocean environments. As surfers, we get to experience the ocean at its most awe-inspiring. But also witness its alarming degradation up close. Once pristine beaches littered with plastic debris, coral reefs…
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9 Marine Conservation Organisations to Follow in 2026
Want to give our oceans a helping hand? Discover 9 marine conservation organisations to follow in 2026, all of which are prioritising the long-term health of our underwater ecosystems. Our oceans are a life force on this planet. Marine species account for more than 90% of all life on Earth, yet they face grave threats…
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Microplastics: How They Impact Our Marine Life and Oceans
When we think about ocean pollution, most of us picture plastic bottles, abandoned fishing nets or floating rubbish patches drifting across the water’s surface. Don’t get us wrong – these are all doing immense damage! But one of the biggest threats facing our marine environments is something we can barely see at all: microplastics. These…
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Surfboard Carbon Footprints + How to Reduce Your Impact
Concerned about the environmental impact of surfboards? Discover everything you need to know about the carbon footprint of surfboards and steps you can take to reduce yours. Over the past few decades, the pursuit of low-cost, high-performance surfboards to meet the demands of a growing number of surfers worldwide has led to major evolutions in…
