SUMMIT ALUMNI
A Sampling of the 76 Summiters You’ll Meet Here…
Recognize these Faces?

“We’re right at that critical point… never before could we know what we now know. Never again will there be a chance as good as what we now have to take action, to do something. Everybody can do something.” ~ Sylvia Earle
Welcome To Blue Ocean Summit
Blue Ocean Summit is our signature community event. Since 2014, this online Summit has brought to you the inspiring stories of over seventy ocean change-makers. Our Summit is all about stepping into ocean change, and explores a broad spectrum of issues, solutions, and immediate actions we can take to be the change we want to see in the sea.
We’re On a Voyage To A Better Blue Planet
To guide us on this virtual journey to a better blue planet, we interview those who are deeply involved in ocean change. Some of our Summit alumni, a.k.a. “Summiters” are well known ocean leaders like Dr. Sylvia Earle and Jean-Michel Cousteau. Other speakers are lesser known but their stories are equally important; these below-the-radar active ocean people inspire us to do what we can, with what we have, from where we are.
Bringing Ocean People Together
Participant or Summiter, the Ocean People we bring together hail from around the world, from the fields of science, art, film & photography, travel & tourism, recreation & sports, lifestyle & health, business & innovation, philanthropy, conservation, policy and media. These are your people, explorers, innovators, activists and wayshowers all. Our Summit gatherings remind us that solutions will come from unusual places, uncommon leadership and unexpected collaborations. And there is hope.
Stayed Tuned For Summit 2018
Summit 2018 is slated for Oct 8 – 12. It’s free and will be held right here on this site, in a specially created Summit hub. This Summit has been designed to contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals #14 (Life Below Water) , #4 (Quality Education), #8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), #9 (Industry Innovation and Infrastructure), #12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production) and #17 (Partnerships for the Goals) from the global goals to transform the world by 2030. Stay tuned for more details.
Be at the Head of the Line.
Portions of this Summit will be live, allowing a limited number of participants to connect directly with Summiters. Reserve your Live Virtual Event Ticket right now until they disappear. General Summit Hub Admission Tickets will still be available to those who miss out on the limited Live Virtual Tickets.
Please note that online Summits are much more complex than physical venues: General Summit Hub Admission Tickets are available now for a limited time to allow us to focus on preparing and serving our ticketed participants. Thank you in advance for supporting this one-of-a-kind event with a monetary donation of your choice.

Summit 2014: Big Ocean, Big Picture
We have three great experts speaking on the theme of Big Ocean, Big Picture. One is focused on how we need to change our communication of the Ocean Conservation Message while our other two speakers bring exciting new perspectives to the issue of a Model for...

This is your mind on water: How Neuro-Science Research is Showing that We’ve Been Wrong in the way we have been Spreading the Ocean Conservation Message – Wallace J. Nichols
“This is what the ocean can do for you; this is what the ocean is good for; these are the cognitive and emotional benefits of being in, on, and under the water.'”. “We don’t have to invent an emotional connection to the ocean." ~ Wallace J....

Blue the Dive Industry: Working Within to Promote Conservation – Vicki Nichols Goldstein
"Do something. If everyone would take just one step toward an Ocean Awareness action, we would be in such a better place. Be a role model." ~ Vicki Nichols Goldstein "This year we decided to do something different. We got a grant from the National Marine Sanctuary...

It’s Not Easy Being Green – Steve Weaver
"You’ve got to listen to your customers and more and more we are getting clients that demand eco-friendly trips, and we have just scratched the surface. " ~ Steve Weaver Steve Weaver of Dreamweaver Travel has organized one trip a month for 31 years. In Weaver's...

Diving Professionals as Ambassadors of the Blue – Steve Mussman
"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free " ~ Jacques Cousteau, Steve Mussman’s favorite quote In the Dive Industry "we need to use our influence to impact new...

Turning Inspiration into Real Action – Shawn Heinrichs
"If we can’t protect manta rays, the most magnificent and gentle of underwater creatures, then I don’t think we can protect anything. Mantas are like angels sent to us as one final test to see what we are willing to save," ~ Shawn Heinrichs Shawn Heinrichs is an Emmy...

Boosting Your Bottom Line: Building Sustainability into the Dive Center Business Model- Sacha Greene Belter
"In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” –Baba Dioum ~ Sacha Greene Belter’s favorite quote “It’s been full of good challenges and a lot of passion,” says Sacha Belter Green....

Beyond Responsible Diver: the Ocean Reality Check – Dr. Alex Brylske
“How odd we call this planet Earth when it is so obviously ocean” - Arthur C. Clarke, Dr. Brylske’s favorite quote Dr. Brylske's first dives were in the 1960's when the coral reefs he saw were in pristine condition. Over the past 50 years he has witnessed their...

Why Coral Reefs are One of the Most Valuable Ocean Assets – Dr. Douglas Fenner
“We choose to go to moon, not because it is easy, but because it is difficult.” - President J.F. Kennedy, Dr. Fenner’s favorite quote Dr. Doug Fenner has been observing our coral reefs for decades and has seen some dramatic changes in our ocean which will...

Dr. Mark Erdmann: How Fishermen, Tourism, Tradition and NGO’s Preserve Raja Ampat
"Our approach in Raja Ampat was not to come in talking, rather to come in listening" ~ Dr. Mark Erdmann Dr. Mark Erdmann is a Coral Reef Ecologist (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) and senior advisor for Conservation International-Indonesia’s marine program:...
Banner Image © Amos Nachoum — Big Animals Expeditions