We all love a little something extra, so Ocean Minded is offering the new Minoa Canvas shoe for 20% OFF today through Saturday, May 18, 2013! Click here to shop now and enter promo code “FB_Minoa20″ at checkout. Happy savings!
The 3 Day Only Sale: Ocean Minded Minoa Canvas
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged 3 day sale, facebook promotion, men's shoes, Ocean Minded, ocean minded shoes, promo code, promotional code, sale, sandals, savings, shoe, shoes Comments closed
Behind the Brand: Ocean Minded Marketing Director, Bob Tanner
Name: Bob Tanner
Job Title: Director of Marketing
What are you responsible for at Ocean Minded? In a nutshell, I’m responsible for the Ocean Minded brand – what it looks like, what it feels like, and what it communicates. I’m very fortunate to have a great team reporting to me, and together we manage OM’s advertising, photo and video shoots (along with post-production), in-store marketing, public relations, events, tradeshows, catalog and website production, social media, the OM Brand Ambassador program, and our company’s environmental efforts.
We also work very closely with the Sales and Product departments to ensure our brand message remains consistent in these two areas, and to develop future marketing strategies around our account base as well as certain OM products and collections. I’m sure I forgot something, but I think this paints a pretty good picture of what I’m responsible for at Ocean Minded!
What is your favorite part of the job? Without a doubt, the best part of my job is that no two days are the same! That’s the main reason I was attracted to the retail/wholesale business right out of college – I knew it was going to be a fast paced, ever-changing environment. I’m not the type of person that can stay static for any period of time and keep doing the same thing over and over. I need stimulus and this job certainly provides it!
I’m also in the fortunate position of being able to work in an industry (and for a brand) that’s foundation is something very near and dear to my heart – the ocean! As you can imagine, being surrounded by your passions on a daily basis is a very fulfilling experience and something I don’t take for granted.
What advice can you give to someone who is looking to begin a career in the action sports Marketing world? First and foremost, follow your passion. I know it sounds hokey, but take it from someone’s who’s living proof that you can have a career doing something you love.
Try and get a job in your targeted industry, as soon as you’re able to. Retail stores that specialize in your passion are a great place to start, as you learn everything ‘from the ground up’ and can follow the course of a product from the time it gets delivered to the store to the time it’s placed in the customer’s shopping bag at check out – which, whether you know it or not at the time, will eventually become very valuable information to you!
If you’re in college, contact companies you’re interested in about an internship (and don’t expect to be paid). There are countless examples (including here at Ocean Minded) of interns being hired on, full-time, after they graduate from college.
I’d also recommend attending as many relevant events as possible – especially trade shows, career fairs, or any type of gathering that a company you’re interested in is attending or hosting. This will give you the chance to interact directly with people that work there, and can sometimes be a very ‘telling’ experience that will enable you to get a better picture of a job, company, or industry, rather than just looking at their website.
Tell us about your craziest, funniest and/or most memorable industry experience. I’m sure the infamous pool pic from Cabo San Lucas is still making people smile.
We all deserve a little wanderlust! Where is the coolest place you’ve traveled and why? My wife and I had booked a trip to Ireland, and before we left a friend said ‘this will be the best trip you’ve ever taken – even if you don’t surf.’ He was correct, and I can’t wait to go back (and YES, I did get to surf, too). Additional good times, great waves, and amazing people in Hawaii, Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica and all over the US!
What band or musician is always on your playlist? It’s always on shuffle, and right now the Violent Femme’s are singing ‘Gone Daddy Gone.’
Top 5 Favs:
1. My Family
2. My Friends
3. Our oceans
4. Beautiful surfboards
5. The Philadelphia Flyers
What single word of advice can you give to someone who wants to be like you when they grow up and work for an awesome brand like Ocean Minded? F-O-C-U-S
Words to live by: ‘Win together today and walk together forever’ – this is what Fred Shero (the legendary coach of my beloved Philadelphia Flyers) wrote on the locker room blackboard before the game when the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup. An amazing quote, regarding teamwork.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged action sports, action sports jobs, behind the brand, behind the scenes, bob tanner, employee profile, fashion, flip flops, footwear, interns, interview, job tips, marketing, marketing department, marketing director, marketing director interview, Ocean Minded, sandals, style, SUP, surf, surf industry, surf industry jobs, surf jobs, Surfing Comments closed
A SUP Success at the 2nd Annual Standup For The Cure!
Earlier this month, Ocean Minded joined forces with the Standup For The Cure, presented by Riviera Paddlesurf, to raise breast cancer awareness and support the Susan G. Koman for the Cure. Almost doubling last years efforts, the 2nd Annual Standup for the Cure raised over $100,000 and over 1,000 participants came out to paddle for a cause on Saturday, May 4th, 2013.
“We can’t thank the sponsors, participants, celebrity athlete instructors and volunteers enough!” said Judie Vivian, volunteer organizer and event founder of Standup for the Cure. “Having this event continue into its second year is a dream come true. With the support of the fabulous volunteer doctors and nurses, we were able to offer education and cancer screening at the event and with the funds raised we can fund even more mammograms through Komen OC than our inaugural year. So we were able to ‘Have Fun and Save Lives’ as we had envisioned.”
Running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the event had a standup paddle clinic led by top paddleboarders, Shelby Schweitzer, Matt Becker, Brennan Rose and Ocean Minded Ambassador, Anthony Vela. In conjunction with the Pink Fleet Fun Paddle 5K was the event’s Pro Elite Paddle Race where Ocean Minded Ambassador, Thomas Maximus Shahinian took home first place for the men’s division. Ruth’s Chris Steak House from Irvine and Del Mar provided a delicious lunch and Barefoot Wines and Kona Brewing Company provided happy hour libations. Live music was provided by the Wheeland Brothers and Crimson Crowbar
“Seeing the sea of pink standup paddlers as they wound through the Newport Dunes harbor was breathtaking. It just blew me away to see such solidarity and support,” said Vivian. “It’s hard to believe that I once felt alone in my journey with breast cancer – I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish for awareness and support,” she said.
The event took place at Newport Dunes, visible from Pacific Coast Highway, and had a paddling course that wound through the scenic harbor. Shawneen Schweitzer, a former world champion windsurfer and on-air personality Dreu Murin served as the day’s emcees.
At the end of the day, this was truly an amazing event for Ocean Minded to be a part of and a rewarding experience for everyone involved. Ocean Minded’s fundraising efforts will continue through June 3, 2013 for the Susan G Komen for the Cure, and will match the total amount raised of up to $1,000 at this time. To make a contribution to Team Ocean Minded, visit the fundraising page here: https://fundraising.active.com/fundraiser/OceanMinded. For more details on the event, visit www.standuo-for-the-cure.org. Until next year!
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged active, athletic event, barefoot wines, california, crimson crowbar, fundraiser, komen for the cure, kona brewing, music festival, newport beach, newport dunes, Ocean Minded, paddle board, paddle race, philanthropic, philanthropy, pink, ruth chris steakhouse, Standup For The Cure, standup paddle boarding, SUP, susan g komen for the cure, susan g komen for the cure orange county, Susan G. Komen, team ocean minded, wheeland brothers Comments closed
A Weekend of Fitness, Philanthropy and Environmental Awareness
Ocean Minded has joined forces with the Standup For The Cure fundraiser on Saturday, May 4, 2013 and the Performance Paddling Junior Pro and Youth SUP Fiesta competition on Sunday, May 5, 2013 for a weekend of ocean-water activities and philanthropic fun benefiting Susan G. Koman for the Cure.
As a sponsor of both events, Ocean Minded has furthered their philanthropic efforts by forming a fundraising team on Active.com, with monies benefitting the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G Komen for the Cure. Team Ocean Minded will be raising money through June 3, 2013, which they will then match up to $1,000 of the total amount of money raised through Active.com. Anyone who makes a donation of $25.00 or more on behalf of Team Ocean Minded will receive a free Ocean Minded™ Trucker Hat and a pair of the new, Waveseeker Flip Flops, while supplies last.
“It’s really important for us, not only as a brand but as a group of individuals, to get involved with philanthropic events such as the Standup For The Cure,” explains Ocean Minded General Manager, Steve Workman. “By matching the fundraising efforts made for Team Ocean Minded, we hope to help those who need it most and support this great cause.”
In addition to these fundraising efforts, Ocean Minded will also be onsite at both events, giving away a limited supply of hats, footwear coupons and hosting the official beach cleanups. The Riviera Paddlesurf Junior SUP Team will be helping Ocean Minded organize the Standup For The Cure’s official beach cleanup on Saturday, May 4th, which will be held directly after the Live Auction at approximately 12:45 p.m. On the following day at the Performance Paddling Junior Pro and Youth SUP Fiesta, the official Ocean Minded beach cleanup will be held at 10:00 a.m.
Kicking-off this feel-good weekend on Saturday, May 4th is the Standup For The Cure’s second annual fundraising event at Newport Dunes in Newport Beach, California. Named Top Philanthropic Effort of 2012 by SUP Magazine, 100% of the event’s donations and proceeds benefit the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This event, which raised over $60,000 last year, is from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will feature a 5K Pink Fleet Fun Paddle for paddlers of all ages and abilities, a SUP clinic lead by world-class paddler, Zane Schweitzer, a yoga paddleboard clinic by the Paddleboard Bliss team of Orange County, free cancer screenings from specialists from UCI Cancer Center, live musical entertainment from the Wheeland Brothers and Crimson Crowbar, food and drinks from Ruth’s Chris Steak House , Kona Brewing Company and Barefoot Wines an exhibitors expo, a live and silent auction, and much more.
The Performance Paddling Junior Pro and Youth SUP Fiesta will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, May 5th at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, California. Ocean Minded is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this inaugural event, which was organized by Candice Appleby and Anthony Vela – both Brand Ambassadors for the company. The event’s proceeds will also be donated to Standup For The Cure and the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G Komen for the Cure and will feature the first ever “kids only” surf race sanctioned by the World Paddle Association (WPA), as well as a Junior Pro Sup Surf Invitational, SUP surfing competition for 17 and under and a $5,000 cash prize purse. Some of the sport’s top professionals will also be judging, announcing and encouraging these young athletes through the course, including Brandi Baksic, Brennan Rose, Dave Boehne, Colin McPhillips, Chuck Patterson, and Kody Kerbox.
“Organizing this all-youth event has been really special, and to have a company like Ocean Minded as the presenting sponsor is amazing,” explains event co-founder, Candice Appleby. “Ocean Minded was the first brand to sponsor me, at age 13, and I believe it’s really important to share their brand message of Live/Protect/Respect with the younger generation.”
Donations for the Standup For The Cure and the Susan G Komen for the Cure can be made by visiting the Team Ocean Minded fundraising page or for more information on Ocean Minded, please contact Communications Manager, Lanette Jorgensen. For more information on the Standup For The Cure fundraising event or to register for the event, visit www.standup-for-the-cure.org. For information on the Performance Paddling Junior Pro and Youth SUP Fiesta or to register the event, visit www.performancepaddling.com.
ABOUT OCEAN MINDED
Be Ocean Minded™. That simple idea is the foundation of our company. Being ‘ocean minded’ and living an ‘ocean lifestyle’ begins with the inspiration and allure that the world’s oceans and beaches offer each one of us. The Ocean Minded™ brand enables an individual to identify, visualize, and embrace their personal beach and water-oriented passions in the course of their daily adventure.
Live. Protect. Respect.™ We can no longer deny that our planet is rapidly becoming a crowded and polluted place. Ocean Minded believes we should utilize recycled and sustainable materials in our footwear, apparel and accessories whenever possible, and we consistently strive to achieve this.
Additionally, we feel it is essential to Live, Protect, and Respect our environment. Since 1996, we have been organizing community beach cleanups around the world, and educating our customers on the importance of leaving their chosen playgrounds in better condition than they were found.
Our belief that everything eventually ends up in the ocean has led us to host additional cleanups in the mountains and on the banks of inland rivers and lakes. These are the cornerstones of our brand and we invite you to Be Ocean Minded™.
ABOUT STANDUP FOR THE CURE
Standup for the Cure is a Non-Profit Corporation formed in 2012, which raised more than $60,000 at its inaugural May event for the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure. More than 700 paddlers met up for the first Standup for the Cure in May this year to raise money and awareness for breast cancer detection. Founded by breast cancer survivor Judie Vivian, Standup for the Cure was conceived as a gathering to celebrate survivors’ recovery and support current cancer patients and their families for a fun and inspirational day on the water.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged active, Anthony Vela, athletic event, barefoot wines, bolsa chica state beach, breast cancer, Brennan Rose, california, Candice Appleby, cash purse, Chuck Patterson, cinco de mayo, Colin McPhillips, crimson crowbar, Dave Boehne, donations, fiesta, fundraiser, happy hour, huntington beach, indo board, infinity sur, infinity surf, Kody Kerbox, kona brewing, Maui Jim, music festival, newport beach, newport dunes, Ocean Minded, on it pro, paddle board, paddle race, Paddleboard Bliss, performa, Performance Paddling Junior Pro & Youth SUP Fiesta, philanthropic, philanthropy, pink, Quickblade Paddles, ruth chris steakhouse, Standup For The Cure, Standup Paddle, standup paddle boarding, SUP, sup contest, sup magazine, sup surfing, Sup the Mag, supconnect, Surfing, susan g komen for the cure, Susan G. Komen, Sweet Water Apparel, team ocean minded, UCI Cancer Center, victory kore dry, waveseeker flip, wheeland brothers, World Paddle Association Comments closed
Ocean Minded Retailers Prepare for the Post Hurricane Sandy Summer Season
This past month, Ocean Minded visited the North East with a goal to re-establish relationships and lend a hand to businesses who are still recovering from the disaster that struck less than 6 months ago, Hurricane Sandy.
Even though you may not see as much news coverage surrounding the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, many businesses are still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Sandy. From local surf shops to entire neighborhoods, massive reconstruction projects are still underway and it’s a race against time for businesses to get their doors open before the summer season hits. Many Ocean Minded retailers, such as Farias Surf & Sport, were effected by Hurricane Sandy and Ocean Minded was shocked to see first hand just how much work still needs to be done with the warm summer months just around the corner.
Ocean Minded met up with friends from ERGO Restore Projects and the Bucket Brigade, both organizations that have been active in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts since day one, and captured these shocking images taken earlier this month. View more photos on the Ocean Minded Facebook Page by clicking here.
New Jersey Coastline
Infrastructure and rebuild is staggeringly slow.
Entire neighborhoods are still far from recovery.
Farias Surf & Sport, just an hour from the storm's epicenter, undertaking a massive reconstruction project.
Homes are still untouched after disaster struck.
Seaside Boardwalk rebuild project still underway.
One block from the ocean and only two weeks ago.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged beach city, bucket brigade, construction, destruction, disaster zone, East Coast, Fa, Farias Surf & Sport, footwear, homes, hurricane, hurricane sandy, jersey shore, jersey strong, natural disaster, new jersey, Ocean Minded, restore the shore, retail store, sales run, sandy relief efforts, summer, surf, surf shop, surfers, Surfing, waves for water Comments closed
Redefining Our American Dream
Last month, our friends Emily King and Corey Smith from Where’s My Office Now? stopped by the Ocean Minded global headquarters in San Clemente, CA. Discover how these two set out to Redefine our American Dream in the below excerpt, from Emily herself.
By Emily King, Where’s My Office Now?
From the stability of a house, to the finicky temperament of a 25 year old vehicle. From the comfort of nearby friends and family, to the generosity of random strangers. From a 9-5 office job, to the flexibility of a completely virtual website development company. From dreaming of endless waves and trails, to living a life overflowing with adventure. We are redefining our American Dream.
Our names are Corey Smith and Emily King and we are the creators of Where’s My Office Now?. On January 29th, 2013, we left our New England homes in a 1987 VW Vanagon to create a lifestyle of simplicity and adventure. Working from the road, we leverage today’s technology to develop websites for small businesses. We are experiencing America through our passions of surfing and mountain biking … and whatever other adventures come our way.
The Beginnings of Where’s My Office Now?
Where’s My Office Now? was born on a seven week surf trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica in the Spring of 2012. Nicaragua is one of the poorest Latin American countries. From what we experienced, they don’t have much, but what they do have was so strikingly evident. For the most part, they have shelter, clothes to shield themselves from the sun and dust, handy farm animals to alleviate workload, strong family values, and an equally strong sense of community. In Nicaragua, it was easy to awaken to what is important. It seemed that the less material items people had, the more joy, happiness and love shined through.
And so was born our desire to simplify and assess the paths that we were on. The less we consume, the less stress we place on the Earth. Since we are all so very connected, by living consciously, we live for each other and future generations.
The Route
The journey thus far has taken us coast to coast, experiencing Hurricane Sandy devastation, 15 degree sleeping conditions, the vastness of the Midwest, perfect waves in Southern California and epic mountain biking in Sedona, AZ. We visited our friends at Ocean Minded in San Clemente, CA and took a tour of the headquarters. It’s inspiring to see a company standing for something so important, plus we were reminded of the interconnectedness of all things – and that almost everything ends up in the ocean!
Where will we end up? This is unknown. What we do know is that we will be sharing our journey through writing, photography, and video. And that we are committed to an openness to let the adventure unfold.
About Where’s My Office Now?
Where’s My Office Now? is an experiment. It’s an inquiry into a lifestyle created by the merging of two historically different paths — the blend of an adventurous nomadic lifestyle, with a traditional 9-5 business career. What challenges and opportunities will arise? What will be learned? In the end, will it all be worthwhile? Subscribe for updates at www.wheresmyofficenow.com and follow them on Instagram @wheresmyofficenow. Where’s My Office Now? is sponsored by GoWesty.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged american dream, be ocean minded, bike, Corey Smith, cycle, diving, emily king, life, mountain biking, Ocean Minded, ocean minded headquarters, road, road trip, surf, Surfing, travel, united states adventure, usa, volkswagon, vw van, wanderlust, wheres my office now Comments closed
10 Simple Ways to Be Ocean Minded this Earth Day
Earth Day is just around the corner and Ocean Minded believes there is no better way to celebrate Mother Nature than helping keep her beaches, oceans, lakes and rivers clean. Discover 10 simple ways you can be Ocean Minded this Earth Day with tips from our environmentally conscious Brand Ambassador, Anthony Vela.
by Ocean Minded Brand Ambassador, Anthony Vela
Apathy and a lack of concern for the ocean environment seems to be universal, no matter where I travel. As a professional athlete, my career has allowed me to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but unfortunately that is not always the case. I am also subjected to some of the most horrific beach conditions you could imagine…beautiful, pristine, beaches littered with trash.
As people, we are connected to many different aspects of nature and I think we should take our role in the environment seriously. Our goal should be to blend with nature as much as possible. We have to somehow change the path of apathy for nature that seems to permeate beaches all over the world.
Leading by example is a great start. I try and keep it simple because if a lot of people do a bunch of little things, it adds up. Try it yourself this Earth Day and implement at least one of these 10 simple ways to be Ocean Minded!
- Find a rubbish bin – Seems easy enough. But there are always those times where you just can’t seem to find a rubbish bin. Keep looking you will find one, or take it with you until you get home.
- Limit plastic water bottle use – There are some mind blowing numbers on the amount of plastic water bottles that are used per year.
- Use re-usable bags – Keep at least two re-usable bags in your car, that way you are ready for those impromptu shopping missions.
- Pick up trash that’s not yours– It actually feels good when you pick up trash that wasn’t yours. Try it sometime.
- Dump your used motor oil at a certified station – if you are handy enough to change your own oil, awesome. But try to take that extra step and dump the oil at a dumping station. You can find them all over.
- Dispose of used electronics to a place – Lots of electronics stores have electronics/battery drop-off bins.
- Be conscious of electricity use – Try to limit the use of lights and other electronics. Especially in summertime.
- Carpool – To work, to school, to the beach. Once a week if you can. Once every two weeks if you can. Or even once a month. Every little bit helps.
- Support environmentally conscious companies – There are certain brands that go the extra mile to take care of the environment. It would be nice if more companies adopted business models like this.
- Plant plants – It’s fun to plant something that you can eat. Some fruits, vegetables, and herbs grow very easily. Get you hands dirty and grow something that you can eat.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Anthony Vela, be ocean minded, beach cleanups, bring your own bag, byob, earth, earth day, earth day 2013, earth day tips, eco-friendly, environment, environmental efforts, environmental iniatives, environmental organizations, Green, mother nature, Ocean Minded, ocean minded ambassador, reusable bags, SUP, surf, surfers, Surfing, sustainability Comments closed
Ocean Minded Brand Video Release!
The moment you have all been waiting for is finally here! Discover what it really means to Be Ocean Minded in this 2-minute video and travel behind-the-scenes to their Global Headquarters in San Clemente, California with Brand Ambassadors Rusty Long, Candice Appleby, Chuck Patterson, Gillian Gibree, Lulu Erkeneff, Anthony Vela, Thomas “Maximus” Shahinian, and Daniel Jones, and General Manager, Steve Workman. This is the first of many brand videos that Ocean Minded will be releasing in 2013, so stay tuned for more highlighting our individual Brand Ambassadors, beach cleanup and environmental efforts, employee interviews and much more!
Live. Protect. Respect. Be Ocean Minded.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Anthony Vela, be ocean minded, behind the scenes, brand ambassadors, brand video, california, Candice Appleby, Chuck Patterson, daniel jones, earth day, eco-friendly, environment, environmental brands, environmental efforts, environmentally concious, general manager, Gillian Gibree, global headquarters, Green, Lulu Erkeneff, ocean, Ocean Minded, Ocean Minded Brand Ambassador, protect, rusty long, san clemente, southern california, standup paddle boarding, steve workman, SUP, surf, surf brand, surfers, Surfing, Thomas 'Maximus' Shahinian, youtube video Comments closed
Be Ocean Minded and B.Y.O.B.
With Earth Day just around the corner, many environmental organizations are raising awareness for the plastic bag ban and some communities are even preparing for the ban to be instated this Earth Day, on April 22, 2013. The “bag ban” encourages the use of reusable bags to promote healthier environments for communities through the decreased use of single-use plastic bags. Here at Ocean Minded, we believe simple changes such as remembering to B.Y.O.B or bring your own (reusable) bag, can have a positive impact on our environment and help keep not only our beaches, but our planet clean.
Ocean Minded works very closely with like-minded organizations to support their beach cleanup and environmental initiatives. The Surfrider Foundation, being one of them, has built an entire campaign around this plastic bag bag with Rise Above Plastics (RAP). 
Their B.Y.O.B. Bring Your Own Bag campaign’s goal is to pass city wide ordinances in local chapter locations for 10 cents on all paper bags and eliminating the use of single use plastic bags.
The country-wide bag ban initiative is a result from the very sobering statistics on single-use plastic bags. According to RAP, it is estimated that Americans go through about 100 billion plastic bags a year and in 2009, approximately 3.8 million tons of waste plastic “bags, sacks and wraps” were generated in the United States and only 9.4% of this total was recycled. Plastics do not biodegrade and even worse, they break down into small particles that make their way into the ocean, absorb toxins, and enter our food chain through fish, sea birds and other marine life.
Supporting this initiative, Ocean Minded Ambassador, Lulu Erkeneff is leading the Dana Hills High School Surfrider Club to work with the school’s local South Orange County Surfrider Chapter in handing out reusable eco-friendly bags to shoppers in Dana Point, California.
“The Mayor came out and stood along side our group and we were given a thumbs up for the bag ban and for our BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) campaign,” says Lulu. “Just like remembering to grab your car keys if you’re taking the car out, its so easy to remember to B.Y.O.B!”
5 Tips Helpful Tips from Lulu Erkeneff
- Pay attention to your purchases! Frequent restaurants and retailers who are already using sustainable packaging and no plastic bags at carry out.
- Take a personal pledge to Rise Above Plastics and reduce your use for single use!
- Get involved and make your voice count locally and beyond by letting your elected officials know we need to stop the tide of man made plastic pollution from getting into our urban and ocean environments!
- Get involved with your local Surfrider Foundation chapter; it’s fun and gratifying!
- Remember, what goes in the ocean goes in YOU!
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged bag ban, beach cleanups, bring your own bag, byob, dana hills high school, earth day, earth day 2013, earth day tips, eco-friendly, environment, environmental efforts, environmental iniatives, environmental organizations, Green, Lulu Erkeneff, Ocean Minded, ocean minded ambassador, plastic bag ban, rap, reusable bags, rise above plastics, surfers, Surfing, surfrider, Surfrider Foundation, sustainability Comments closed
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Take a Trip to Paradise with Ocean Minded and SwimVacation!
With summer just around the corner, we know your thoughts are consumed with upcoming vacation plans and wanderlust daydreams. Whether your travel plans are near or far, take a break this week and join us as we #InstaTravel with our friends at SwimVacation to paradise in Kona, Hawaii. Today is the first day of this amazing weeklong trip and Heather Perry from SwimVacation is here to tell us all it! Discover true paradise and follow our hawaiian adventures on Instagram at #KONASWIM. Mahalo!
By Heather Perry, SwimVacation Guide and Photographer
Eventually, everything ends up in the ocean. If you follow Ocean Minded on Instagram (@beoceanminded), you’ll see that powerful sentence on their profile page. It rang true for me the second I read it. True in the ecological and environmental sense, and for me and everyone at SwimVacation, true on a very personal level. No matter what is going on in my life, eventually and inevitably, I always end up in the sea. It’s where I find balance and restoration; it’s where I find joy. It’s not always an easy place to be, but it’s where my body and soul wants to be, and when I’m submerged I feel like I’ve come home.
I’m Heather Perry, underwater photographer and swimming guide for SwimVacation. We are a company providing all-inclusive, small-tour swimming vacations in tropical places. In the British Virgin Islands, we live aboard a sailing yacht for a week. In our newest destination, Kona, Hawaii, we will be living in a water front Hale amongst native Hawaiians and their ocean-minded culture. SwimVacation is more than just a vacation in the waves; our trips are about paring down the clutter in your life for a while and helping you uncover your true potential. It’s about unlocking the part of you that brings a smile to your face while the ocean breeze washes over you; it’s about proving to yourself that you can swim 3 miles and sharing the best parts of yourself with the world. We cater to people who find the best of themselves in the sea.
When I met Bob Tanner, the Marketing Director at Ocean Minded, at a trade show last year, it became clear that SwimVacation and Ocean Minded could find synergy in our connection with and appreciation of the sea. Last night I took a trip down memory lane and re-read my first blog post from just almost a year ago, about my preparations to scout Kona for SwimVacation. At the time I could only imagine, but I remember wondering if and how Hawaii would fit into our roster of swimming destinations. When I arrived in Hawaii, not only was I greeted by beautiful weather and the deep blue Pacific Ocean, I found a culture of very ocean-minded people; I found home. Hawaiians are folks whose veins the ocean drives a pulse. The Pacific is an intrinsic part of their lives; it surrounds them. Men, women and children alike, all swim, surf, SUP (standup paddle board), canoe, free dive, and in between the various ocean-borne activities they sit along the shore. Their conversations are carried on while looking out into a vast, rhythmic expanse; the Pacific is part of their family.
What was most important to me upon my return from Kona was that the indelible ocean-minded culture of Hawaii be a major character in this SwimVacation experience. One year has passed and SwimVacation President, Hopper McDonough and I have worked hard to put together what will be an outstanding and rejuvenating adventure for our guests. We found a modern yet traditional home designed by a local architect, to be our base of operations and this spectacular Hale celebrates Hawaii’s tradition of open air living along the water’s edge. The beautiful structure is built exclusively with sustainable hard woods, harvested from less than 50 miles away. For nourishment, we found the perfect private chef duo in Clare and Dan Bobo who will prepare the finest and freshest ingredients Hawaii has to offer from local fishermen and farmers’ markets. We will have local lifeguard, Ryan McGuckin, join us as our guide, SUP with us and be our man on the ground sharing his exciting stories of a life spent in Hawaii. We’ve also forged relationships with other local providers in our effort to give our guests an authentic Hawaiian experience. As the colors, flavors and spirit of this place seep into us, we’ll embark into the Pacific with nothing but suits, caps and goggles; simple and pure for an unfettered connection with this ocean and all it has to offer.
It’s mid May here in our home state of Maine. Spring was here about a week ago but it must have gotten tired of our desperate exuberance for it, and today felt more like fall. I’m wearing a few more layers than I’d like as I sit here in my studio, preparing for my second swimming trip to Kona. A year ago I had no idea what was ahead of me and today I am antsy and ready to get back.
As you can see, it made perfect sense to collaborate with Ocean Minded for our first SwimVacation experience in Hawaii. Their sea celebrating philosophy is a perfect fit with ours and they were kind enough to send along some cool goodies for our guests upon their arrival. So here we come Hawaii; here we come Pacific! Like Ocean Minded, we’re ready to “Live, Protect, Respect” everything you have to offer us and “swim, relax, repeat” as we do best at SwimVacation. I already feel like a week won’t be long enough.
Click here to follow this incredible adventure on the Ocean Minded Instagram, #KONASWIM. To learn more about SwimVacations, visit their website at www.swimvacation.com