Ocean Rescue Alliance

Did you know you can honor your loved ones while creating a habitat for our reefs and oceans?

A celebratory plaque or memorial reef is an economical, innovative and eco-friendly option to honor a loved one by creating a permanent ocean friendly memorial to live forever on the seafloor. With the creative abilities of our artists, we are able to create beautiful sculptures of loved ones from photographs, by body casting individuals or even with 3D scanning.

Eco-tourism offers a unique opportunity to explore the natural world while supporting conservation efforts, empowering local communities, and promoting sustainable practices.

You can directly contribute to our efforts to restore and protect vital coral reefs and marine life. Help us protect biodiversity, preserve fragile ecosystems, and ensure that future generations can enjoy the beauty of our planet. 🤗 🌊

is here! 🫶 At ORAI we are committed to protecting our coral reefs in anyway we can, including reducing plastic pollution. Plastics can smother corals and disrupt marine ecosystems. 😢

Join us this month (and every month) in making a difference!
• swap single-use plastics for reusable options
• participate in local beach cleanups (we host many cleanups and would love to have you join, subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated!)
• spread the plastic free word

Together we can create healthier oceans and preserve our vibrant coral habitats! 🪸🩵

The rainforests of our oceans 🥹 a peek into our lab partner - one of dozens of tanks that house our restoration efforts (& many more to come)! We are so grateful to have partnerships that allow us to propel our restoration for marine ecosystems. 🫶

Did you know that coral reefs support 25% of all marine life? Without them we could lose countless species that rely on these beautiful habitats for shelter and food. 🪸

Are you subscribed to the ORAI Newsletter? 👀 We just announced our next Reef Deployment Project and it’s not something you want to miss - event updates, RSVPs, and some other fun happenings here at ORAI. 🐠 Check out our IG stories for a sneak peek on details & some other projects!

Our oceans are our responsibility 🥺 let’s dive into how we can help improve ocean conservation efforts, with just a few simple changes to be more mindful. Read this caption for a few of our tips.

🌊 Use safe sunscreen - harsh chemicals are used in most sunscreen products to prevent ultraviolet light, but it also threatens corals or other marine life.

🌊 Please don’t touch the corals or sea life - we know it’s all so beautiful but touching corals and marine life is as harmful to them, as it is to you. Corals are fragile not to mention some species (like fire coral) can sting you! 

🌊 Trash pick up - if you see trash, pick it up, but make sure removing it will not harm coral or sea life. Check if there is marine life living in or on the trash because sea animals often make homes on marine debris. 

P.S. If you ever find weapons, anything unusual, or unsafe to remove, do not touch or remove it. Mark the location and call your local Marine Debris Reporting and Removal Program. 🫶

Celebrating World Reef Awareness Day!

Reefline is partnering with Ocean Rescue Alliance International and Coral Morphologic at the We Restore Coral Lab in Miami. Where non endangered soft coral species will be grown out for artificial reef projects.

Reefline will have 4 coral tank systems at this lab that will be dedicated to growing corals for the Reefline artificial reef. Starting with 2,200 corals!

These corals will be native non endangered gorgonians and soft corals that will bring the Reefline artificial reefs to life. Creating a beautiful underwater reef habitat!

Let’s protect our underwater treasures and keep our oceans vibrant. 🪸

Natural reef designs are essential to the success of our artificial reefs.

Have you ever wondered why our reefs are more beneficial than other artificial reefs? What materials are used to make our reefs? Or maybe even, what impact do our reefs have on our community? Well, if you have any of those questions or other similar questions, we answer them! Flip through the slides above and you can learn a little bit about our mission.

If you have any other unanswered questions you can look at our website: https://www.oceanrescuealliance.org/

Remember the importance and vitality of our coral reefs!!!

It’s the last day of Earth Month and the last day of our $50,000 matching opportunity! Rush in your donations now to help ORAI unlock the match and open the WeRestore coral nursery and educational center!

https://www.oceanrescuealliance.org/ -9885

Earth Month ends tomorrow and so does our $50,000 matching opportunity! Rush in your donations now to help ORAI open the WeRestore coral nursery and educational center! https://www.oceanrescuealliance.org/ -9885

You can even get your own mermaid statue, donate, or dive with us on our 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef site @  https://1000mermaids.com/

Help make a difference saving corals, one mermaid at a time 🧜

Happy Earth Day to you and our beautiful planet, which is 71% water! We hope you do something to support the Earth today - whether it’s cleaning up trash around your neighborhood or clicking the link in our bio to donate to ocean conservation.

Happy Earth Day to you and our beautiful planet, which is 71% water! We hope you do something to support the Earth today - whether it’s cleaning up trash around your neighborhood or clicking the link in our bio to donate to ocean conservation.

Remember not to touch corals because some can sting you, and touching them kills hundreds of polyps and makes them more vulnerable to disease. 

Now is your chance to join the ORAI team on a dive! Come with us this Friday as we explore the City of Hollywood 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef site to monitor the health of the reef. While the photos and videos of our site are stunning - it's a whole different experience to be down there for yourself. You can sign up to join by emailing [email protected]. A minimum of an open-water diver certification is required to join. $150 all-inclusive for the boat and gear rentals.

Staghorn coral is one of the main corals used in coral restoration projects because of its fast-growing nature and high success rates.

Spend Earth Day with us as we partner with to clean up one of our State Parks in need of some love. Plus, we'll be using the trash collected at this event for art projects and educational workshops with kids and schools throughout Tampa Bay. We hope to see you there! Sign up using the QR code or at www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-clean-up-tickets-863959274447

BTW - did you know Cockroach Bay gets its name from Horseshoe Crabs, because they were so historically abundant that the Spanish called them cockroaches - neat!

Save the oceans!!!

Fun fact: Corals are animals, not plants.

Our CEO, Shelby Thomas, will be giving a Ted Talk at the University of Florida in Gainesville this Saturday at 3:30 pm! If you’re in the area, you can sign up to attend for free. We’ll share the recording of her presentation, titled “Through Serving Nature We Serve Ourselves” when it is available, so stay tuned for updates.

What you can do:
  
Sawfish are a species with limited information and all information can help, so if you see a sawfish report it! You can report sawfish encounters easily and quickly online or by phone to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Phone #: 844-472-9347 (1-844-4SAWFISH)
E-mail: [email protected]

Mark your calendars and prep your questions! Tomorrow, March 28th we will be holding an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Shelby Thomas, the founder and CEO of Ocean Rescue Alliance International, Send your questions in tomorrow through our Instagram story and Shelby will be answering them throughout the day. Do you want to know what ORAI’s structures are made out of? How about what motivated Shelby to start ORAI or what is her favorite marine animal? Ask us anything!

Shelby’s work reminds us that through serving nature, we serve ourselves, and highlights the critical role of innovative approaches in preserving our planet for future generations. Through Shelby’s vision, ORAI combines innovative reef structures with the power of art, bringing people closer to the ocean. These projects showcase how creativity, technology, and traditional knowledge can come together to heal our planet. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s draw inspiration from Shelby Thomas and the transformative work of Ocean Rescue Alliance International. Their efforts remind us that each of us has the power to contribute to a more sustainable and connected world. Dive in with us as we support Shelby and her team in their quest to restore and conserve our precious marine ecosystems.

Nassau grouper are vital to our reefs because they help promote the growth of corals and maintain balance among the fish populations.

ORAI is partnering with to build a new lab capable of growing 50,000 resilient coral fragments per year to expedite coral restoration efforts in Florida. But we need your help to build it before the summer heat arrives! Donate before March 31st and your impact will be doubled through dollar-for-dollar matching! That means every $10 you donate is worth $20 and will help ORAI grow two coral fragments.

Donate now at OceanRescueAlliance.org and together we can save our coral reefs!