ocean conservation school 2024
FORCE BLUE's Mission of 'Continuing Service'
This past June, Luminox went down to West Palm Beach to join our friends at FORCE BLUE for their annual Ocean Conservation School (OCS). Founded in 2015, FORCE BLUE has spent the better part of the last decade uniting a dedicated community of Special Operation veterans to make a positive material impact on the world of ocean conservation.
The FORCE BLUE Ocean Conservation School is designed to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders and instill them with a profound sense of duty and service. The participants, Gold Star children and the children of veterans aged 10-22, receive their open ocean diving credentials before putting their training to the test. This pipeline of tangible activism celebrates the legacy of the servicemen and servicewomen lost on the field of battle.
Participants can join the Ocean Conservation School through sponsorship. We sponsored Kaitlyn Gonzalez, a 20-year-old from Virginia and the daughter of former Navy SEAL Master Chief Steve Gonzalez, who currently serves as Force Blue’s Special Projects and Event Director.
Roughly 40 individuals, including former military personnel, gold star children, and friends of FORCE BLUE, worked in unison to make this week as successful as possible. The training began with two days of pool training followed by an additional two days of open-water training. Over these four days, the trainees receive their Open Water Dive training from NAUI dive instructors, go through physical training (PT) with FORCE BLUE Special Operations veterans, and are introduced to the organization’s culture of “continuing service” — all the while learning about why the fight to preserve and restore the world’s oceans and marine habitats is so important.
When it was time to jump into action, the entire FORCE BLUE squad was ready. On the final day, early on that June morning, the team got together and prepared to clean up the pier at Juno beach. Diving into the water revealed a beautiful, yet heartbreaking scene. Amongst the dynamic ecosystem of fish, squid, and other ocean life lived an incredible amount of debris. Fortunately, FORCE BLUE and its new young divers intervened with remarkable efficiency. The dive concluded with 139 pounds of marine debris being removed from the pier and the surrounding areas. The unique opportunity to have a dedicated team of divers committed to cleaning up a specific area gave FORCE BLUE the ability to make a massive impact in this area.
The dive served as a poignant reminder of how post-service life can still provide tremendous purpose to veterans looking to reintegrate into civilian life. Beyond simply completing the dive mission, these veterans are committed to creating community and educating future generations with the skills necessary to continue the FORCE BLUE mission.
Luminox is proud to work alongside an organization committed to bettering the lives of veterans, practicing practical sustainability, and teaching young people the value of scuba diving. Our shared mission continues later this August when Luminox travels to Key West for the next FORCE BLUE mission.
