The Ocean Belongs to Everyone
We put underserved youth in the water, behind professional underwater cameras, and on a path to real careers in the ocean industry — while restoring the kelp forests of Southern California.
Put a Kid on the Boat
$100 gives one kid from an underserved community their first day on the water: the boat, the gear, a mentor beside them and an underwater camera in their hands. Through December 1, Javier matches every gift dollar for dollar, so $100 puts two kids on the boat.
$100 is one underserved kid’s day on the water: boat, gear, a mentor and their first underwater camera session. No child or family ever pays. Secure checkout by Stripe · One-time gift · 100% of net donations fund youth programs · EIN 41-4167030 · tax-deductible
Why We Exist
At My Clean Ocean, we believe that protecting our coastlines requires a multi-angled approach. By combining the power of visual storytelling, community-driven research, and targeted habitat defense, we are actively working to preserve the fragile marine ecosystems of Southern California and beyond.
The ocean industry — marine science, underwater filmmaking, conservation, dive instruction, aquaculture, coastal engineering — is overwhelmingly inaccessible to youth from underserved communities. The equipment is expensive. The training is expensive. The connections don’t exist.
My Clean Ocean exists to change that. We fund real expeditions, real training, and real mentorship — not field trips. We put professional underwater cameras in young hands, connect youth with working ocean professionals, and build pathways to certifications and careers that most of these kids never knew were possible.
Your donation doesn’t fund overhead. It funds the moment a young person from an underserved community descends into a kelp forest for the first time and realizes the ocean belongs to them too.
of children in households under $50,000 have no or low swimming ability
USA Swimming Foundationof U.S. geoscience doctorates go to underrepresented groups
National Science Foundationcost to participating youth & families
of net donations fund youth programs
Our Programs
California’s Kelp Forests Are Disappearing
This is not a distant environmental problem. This is happening in our backyard — in the waters off Laguna Beach, Newport, Malibu, and Catalina Island — right now. Guardian of the Kelp is our response.
Launching 2027 — Join the WaitlistPalos Verdes' Kelp Canopy Lost
Species Depend on Kelp
Acres Regrown Since 2013
Every frame captured serves a single mission — to ensure that the wildlife we marvel at today remains vibrant and thriving for the generations of tomorrow.
Put a Kid in the Ocean
Your donation today funds an expedition, a certification, a mentor, a career — for a young person who never thought the ocean was for them.
EIN 41-4167030 · 100% of net donations fund youth programs. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.