'Sea' The Change: Dive into Ocean Conservation with Sandals Resorts International

Year-round, Sandals Resorts International and the Sandals Foundation partner with organizations, groups, and individuals to create a community of ocean-minded conservationists who are all on the same mission: to “sea” and be the change our oceans need. Inspired by National Oceans Month celebrated in June, we invite you to immerse in life below the surface and be inspired by our global partners, team members, guests, and neighbors joining us in making a difference to keep the Caribbean Sea thriving for generations to come.

Welcoming PROTEUS™ Scientists to Sandals Royal Curaçao

Located just a few nautical miles from the potential site, Sandals Royal Curaçao recently hosted world-renowned aquanaut Fabien Cousteau and a team of scientists who visited one of their considered locations for the “International Space Station of the Ocean” known as PROTEUS™. The excursion was supported by Sandals’ PADI-certified scuba diving program and watersports experts, including Corporate Director of Watersports Michael Clarke, who hosted the group aboard one of its custom designed and state of the art Newton dive boats.

As the world’s most advanced, multi-purpose underwater habitat, PROTEUS™ is designed to drive innovation in the blue economy, amplify ocean storytelling and enable research to address pressing global issues. The modular, state-of-the-art global station will be accessible to public, corporate, academic, and non profit sectors as well as to private individuals. All just a few nautical miles from our home in Curaçao, Sandals Royal Curaçao.

“Virtually everything you love and cherish about the beach, including the feel-good aspects of walking by the shoreline, is because of the ocean. Healthy oceans mean a healthy future, and we’re grateful for partners like Sandals who share our passion for taking action to improve them,” said Cousteau.

Future Goals: Kids Get Creative to Save the Sea

Also in Curaçao, students across the island are taking recycling to the next level.

In partnership with AFC Ajax, the Sandals Foundation and local Curaçao recycler Limpi, Sandals Resorts is inspiring students to have fun while taking plastic waste seriously through Future Goals, a program that removes plastic found in the ocean and upcycles it into soccer goals and nets for schools across the island.

In celebration of two years of Future Goals, students were challenged to think big and create something new from plastic waste and trash in a friendly ‘Future Goals: Art Challenge’ competition.

The winners of the Art Challenge and their creations were posted on billboards across Curaçao during World Oceans Day Weekend.

A student presents his creation to the Future Goals: Art Challenge panel, including ACF Ajax Team Members and Sandals Foundation staff.

A “Grande” Commitment to the Caribbean

Off the coast of Beaches Negril in Jamaica, Shark Week’s Andy Casagrande and his wife and fellow underwater photographer, Emma Casagrande, remove invasive lionfish from nearby reefs together with Beaches’ PADI-certified dive team. This rapidly reproducing and invasive fish species harms Caribbean ecosystems with its large appetite for local fish.

Removing the species is a necessary step in cultivating a healthy underwater habitat for the critters and corals indigenous to the region.

The Casagrandes also shared their love for the ocean with their son Ace who shortly after his 10th birthday headed back to Beaches Negril and became a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver. It’s never too early for an ocean adventure, and hands-on experiences like scuba diving can help raise the next generation of conservationists and sustainability leaders.

A ‘Blue’ Thumb: Gardening Below the Sea

Underwater in Saint Lucia, guests staying at all three Sandals Resorts on the island are getting their hands wet and helping coral populations thrive through coral gardening excursions offered at the resort's dive shops.

Through a partnership with CLEAR Caribbean in Saint Lucia, the Sandals Foundation has helped fund the establishment of coral nurseries. Guests can take the PADI Coral Restoration Course and help the CLEAR Caribbean team outplant and propagate coral fragments.

Better Together: Celebrating PADI Women’s Dive Day

When it comes to change, there’s power in numbers. That’s why Sandals Resorts and PADI are passionate about creating a dive community and industry where men and women from all walks of life and backgrounds can share and explore their love for the ocean.

Putting it into action, Sandals Ocho Rios will host the first official event for PADI’s Annual Women’s Dive Day. Celebrating 10 years of the national holiday, the resort and PADI will bring women from all over the world together to dive deep into the waters of Jamaica, make lasting friendships with like-minded women, and learn more about how they can protect the sea.

Organic Guardians: Mangroves Sink Their Roots

While above sea level on Sandals’ flagship island of Jamaica, Sandals Foundation volunteers and resort staff are planting vital mangrove trees along fragile coasts.

These impactful plants have many roles including acting as the ideal ecosystem for juvenile fish who rely on their structures for nutrients and protection from predators.

Get Involved

Year round, Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts guests are key to the brands' mission to keep the ocean healthy and beautiful for sea life to thrive and local communities to prosper. Coral restoration dives, lionfish hunting certification and educational courses are offered at select resorts, giving guests the opportunity to protect and care for the ocean that warmly welcomes them on their Caribbean vacations.