Environmental Work

For the last 4 years (2006 - 2009) Oceans Unlimited has been recognized by Project AWARE for our support and protection of the marine environment and received an Environmental Achievement Award. We were much honored to receive these awards and are continuing to grow our environmental projects this year.

Coastal and underwater clean up days
Oceans Unlimited organizes regular clean up days, welcoming local and foreign volunteers. The Quepos Port is used by local fishermen, sport fishing boats, tour operators and cruise boats, and because of this heavy traffic marine debris has been a problem. We are trying to find a solution by increasing awareness in the local community and have donated signs to the port for trash management as well as the regular cleanups. We have many local divers taking part and visitors are always welcome, please contact us for more details.

Coral Reef Monitoring Program- Project AWARE CoralWatch
New research indicates more than half the world’s coral reefs are at risk with human activities and climate change taking blame. CoralWatch is a simple method to assess and monitor coral reef health with respect to coral bleaching. The CoralWatch method uses a Coral Health Chart with a series of colors that volunteers match with coral color to determine different stages of coral bleaching. Help us at Oceans Unlimited monitor coral health in Manuel Antonio, and support this world-wide coral project, please contact us for for more details.

AWARE Kids in the community
Our most popular is bringing AWARE Kids to the local community in Quepos / Manuel Antonio. We are visiting local schools to do fun activities covering current environmental topics in Costa Rica including trash and water management, conservation of sharks and turtles and recycling. This is part of our Divmaster Training Programs though anybody can take part to pass on your knowledge to the next dive generations!

Shark Education – Stop Shark Finning and Save our Sharks
We are running Shark Education workshops to help educate about global depletion in shark populations through uncontrolled fishing practises. We look at fishing methods including longlining and shark finning and affect on a global level and how this impacts us in Costa Rica.

Recycling
We are a recycling collection center for plastics and aluminum, and actively use recycled products whenever possible.

We follow Eco-operating Practices
We actively abide to the guidelines below to make as little impact on our beautiful and fragile aquatic environment in the Central Pacific.

• Provide dive experiences that enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the local aquatic environment.
• Use recycled products whenever possible.
• Participate in local conservation efforts and support established parks and reserves.
• Not sell items made from endangered species, threatened species, corals or tropical hardwoods.
• Respect local people, culture and traditions while abiding by local laws and regulations.
• Provide pre-dive briefings on responsible dive practices such as:
  Proper buoyancy control
  Securing equipment and streamlining body position
  Maintaining distance from sensitive environments
  Not touching or chasing animals
  Abiding by all fish and game regulations
• Use mooring buoys or drift diving techniques whenever possible to avoid damage to underwater habitat.
• Offer Project AWARE specialty courses that teach customers about ecology and conservation.
• Practice buoyancy control skills in a pool or sandy area before swimming near a coral reef or any sensitive environment.
• Make sure your equipment is secured; you’re weighted properly and be careful not to touch, stand on or collect coral.
• Display environmental public awareness materials and provide community involvement opportunities.
• Use environmentally sound methods of rubbish disposal