Blog
Community Scholarships Help Campers Shine!
The donations of time, work, and funds that our supporters, volunteers, and donors provide allow us to expand our scope and make a bigger difference in our community and for the planet. Learn how scholarships helped shape our summer camp programs!... READ MORE
Help us Protect the Ocean by Participating in Plastic-Free July!
It’s plastic-free July! Read our tips for going plastic free to improve ocean health and the health of the entire planet. We can be the solution to better marine health, whether we live on the coast or in the Rocky Mountains!... READ MORE
Creature Feature: Disco Clams
We jump at every opportunity we get to share our knowledge and love of the ocean, but not all marine creatures get the attention they deserve. Today, we will focus on the strange and beautiful disco clam, Ctenoides ales. These groovy bivalves of the Indo-Pacific get their name from the flashing light display that they put on!... READ MORE
Staff Spotlight: Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza
Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza turned her fear of sharks into a love of sharks and marine science. Now she’s one of the world’s leading shark biologists and she’s leading efforts to create a new generation of ocean advocates right here in the mountains!... READ MORE
Celebrating World Oceans Day with Ocean First Institute
While we mark every day at Ocean First Institute with marine conservation and stewardship efforts, we like to take special measure to celebrate and renew our commitment to these precious underwater ecosystems on World Oceans Day!... READ MORE
Ocean First Institute and Misión Tiburón Receive Disney Conservation Grant for Shark Research in Costa Rica
Ocean First Institute and Misión Tiburón are excited to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Disney Conservation Fund as a part of the Fund’s focus on reversing the decline of at-risk wildlife around the world. The conservation grant recognizes Ocean First Institute and Misión Tiburón’s efforts to protect and conserve Costa Rica’s endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.... READ MORE
Celebrating our Blue Planet this Earth Day
“When I grow up, I want to be a shark photographer!” Actually, those words never once crossed my lips when I was young. Quite the contrary, I was terrified of sharks. As a child in the mid-to-late 1970s, I was very aware of the blockbuster movie ‘JAWS,’ and its portrayal of a vengeful, man-eating great white shark. So how did I go from being convinced that I was about to be a shark’s next meal to traveling the world to photograph and try to save them? A big part of that had to do with my becoming a diver and actually seeing sharks in the wild.... READ MORE
Educating the Next Generation
Earlier this year, Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza, got to participate in the Blue Ocean Business Summit with other marine conservationists and photographers. During her interview with our board member and founder of The Blue Ocean Business Summit, Laurie Wilson, she explained that “Working with young people is an elixir- It gives me hope!”. You can also watch the interview here. ... READ MORE
Youth Shark Expedition- Bahamas!
Imagine you are just 12 years old and about to jump off a boat into water filled with circling Caribbean Reef sharks! Well this happened last week and students walked away from their week long adventure as shark advocates!... READ MORE
Ocean First Featured in the Denver Post!
“The sea supports all life on the planet. It provides the oxygen we breathe and absorbs a lot of the carbon dioxide that we put in the atmosphere,” said Ocean First Founder and Chief Visionary Officer Graham Casden. “Yet, we’ve done very little to care for it.”... READ MORE