Beautiful Oceans offers first dive vacations and eco-courses that address global warming – a new standard for sustainable eco-tourism

(PRLEAP.COM) MONTREAL, 26 April 2007—Beautiful Oceans, a progressive eco-dive tour operator and premier coral reef education organization, today announced that it will address the impact of global warming from all its eco-dive vacations by carbon offsetting of customer flights and dives. This groundbreaking step, which represents a first in the dive travel industry, is made possible by the ‘carbon calculator’ – an initiative of Sustainable Travel International (STI), adapted for the diving industry by Ocean Frontiers in Grand Cayman. The dive carbon calculator determines the carbon emission costs incurred from air travel and diving activities while on vacation. Beautiful Oceans then compensates for these emissions on behalf of each guest by funding carbon offset projects shown to verifiably reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to the international Kyoto Protocol. The result is a much more climate-friendly - and therefore ocean-friendly - diving vacation.

“Carbon emissions generated through the burning of fossil fuels are largely responsible for the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,” says Stephan Becker, CEO and founder of Beautiful Oceans. “The resulting worldwide temperature increase represents a major threat to all ecosystems in the world, including coral reefs. For an eco-dive tour operator and coral reef education organization like Beautiful Oceans it is imperative that we ensure that the carbon emissions generated during our dive trips will not contribute to the further loss of coral reefs.”

“The idea of offsetting carbon emissions generated during a diving vacation represents a first important step towards the realization of sustainable eco-tourism,” says Ian Popple, Vice President of Science and co-founder of Beautiful Oceans. “Guests on our eco-dive trips will now know that while they learn about marine biology and conservation with our marine biology instructors they are also helping to curb the effect of global warming and preserve the coral reef ecosystem they have come to explore.”

Industry specific offset programs and custom carbon calculators were originally developed in the United States by STI (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org) as the North American distributor of European-based foundation MyClimate™ (www.myclimate.org). The program estimates carbon emissions generated from various activities, such as travel by aircraft and car, household electricity use, and now dive trips. STI, through MyClimate™, arranges compensation for carbon emissions through worldwide carbon offset projects such as the installation of wind energy, solar energy and hydroelectricity operations in Africa, India, Asia and the Americas.

“Although the reduction of emissions directly through measures like increased energy efficiency are most desirable to address travel related climate impacts, the beauty of offsetting lies in its educational component – it has really brought education and conversation about how to address global warming to the forefront of public consciousness,” says STI co-founder Peter D. Krahenbuhl. “In addition, if done properly and “additionally”, meaning that these investments into renewable energy wouldn’t otherwise have occurred, then it quite literally is helping to shift us away from a fossil fuel grid to a renewable energy grid, stimulating energy efficiency and new technology markets, supporting sustainable community development and technology transfer in developing countries.”

“At Ocean Frontiers (www.oceanfrontiers.com) we saw the need to adapt the carbon calculator to include emissions generated within the diving industry,” says Steve Broadbelt, co-founder of Ocean Frontiers. “The new calculator allows us to determine the affect that a dive vacation will have on the environment, and compensate for this accordingly.” For example, the amount of carbon emitted by a couple on a round-trip flight from London (UK), to Grand Cayman is 5.76 tons of CO2, while 14 dives during a one-week-trip generate an additional 0.26 tons of CO2. To compensate for the total amount of CO2 generated by this couple during their diving vacation, Beautiful Oceans must donate $91.80US to carbon offset projects. In comparison, a couple flying in from San Francisco (USA), completing the same number of dives, requires a donation of $56.73US. Ocean Frontiers’ Carbon Calculator can be found at:
http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/offset/index.php?c=18

Beautiful Oceans’ week-long eco-dive trips, which are organized in collaboration with Aqua Dreams Travel (www.aquadreams.com) – one of the most trusted names in the dive travel industry – allow guests to unlock the secrets of the coral reef ecosystem under the supervision of a Beautiful Oceans marine biology instructor. Guests take up to two Beautiful Oceans marine biology courses during their stay, which introduce them to the basic processes, organisms and unique behaviours that can be observed on a coral reef, enhancing their in-water experience. Upcoming Beautiful Oceans eco-dive trips include: Utila (August 18-25), Grand Cayman (September 1-8), Grenada (October 13-20), Bonaire (December 1-8), and Curaçao (January 13-20). To learn more about Beautiful Oceans’ eco-dive trips visit www.beautifuloceans.com

About Beautiful Oceans:
Beautiful Oceans offers the finest coral reef biology courses and eco-dive travel for recreational SCUBA divers and snorkelers. Courses take place online, in-class, and in-water and provide divers and snorkelers with a unique and comprehensive understanding of the coral reef ecosystem. Each course is specially adapted to embrace the regional biology of a chosen travel destination, and creates unique diving and snorkeling experiences. Beautiful Oceans is a member of 1% FOR THE PLANET—a group of businesses donating 1% of their sales to the natural environment. Beautiful Oceans donates 1% of annual income, or 10% of annual pre-tax profit (whichever this is the greater), to not-for-profit organizations active in coral reef conservation. For more information on sustainable eco-dive trips and coral reef education programs, please contact Stephan Becker at sbecker@beautifuloceans.com or Toll Free US-CANADA: 1-800-930-4078 or US-CANADA: +514-907-1935; or UK: +44-020-30028444 or IRELAND: +353-0-1 657-1791 or visit www.beautifuloceans.com

About Ocean Frontiers:
Ocean Frontiers, a Beautiful Oceans Science Dive & Snorkel Center and PADI National Geographic Dive Center is specializing in scuba diving, snorkeling, and vacation packages in Grand Cayman. Ocean Frontiers is a pro-environmentally oriented dive center that integrates best diving and best dive operator practices in its daily operations. In partnership with Sustainable Travel International, Ocean Frontiers developed the ‘Carbon Calculator for Dive Operations’ and collected the scientific data necessary for the design of this unique tool. Beautiful Oceans is the first eco-diving tour operator using this calculator to offset carbon emissions for all of its coral reef biology and eco-dive trips. For more information on the ‘Carbon Calculator for Dive Operations’, please contact Steve Broadbelt at steve@oceanfrontiers.com or +345-947-7500 or visit www.oceanfrontiers.com

About Sustainable Travel International (STI):
STI is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly travel by providing programs that help travelers and travel-related companies protect the environmental, socio-cultural and economic needs of the places they visit, and the planet at large (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org). For more information on carbon offsetting in the travel and tourism industry and custom carbon calculators, please contact Peter D. Krahenbuhl at peterk@sustainabletravel.com or +303-448-0967 or visit www.carbonoffsets.org

For more information, please contact:

Stephan Becker
Beautiful Oceans
sbecker@beautifuloceans.com
Toll Free US-CANADA: 1-800-930-4078
US-CANADA: +514-907-1935
UK: +44-020-30028444
IRELAND: +353-0-1 657-1791
www.beautifuloceans.com

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