Ocean Conservation, Made in Newport Beach
My Clean Ocean takes young people from underserved communities onto the water for free: a day on a boat out of Newport Harbor, dive training, a professional underwater camera in their hands, and a role in restoring the kelp forests off our own coast.
of children in households under $50,000 have no or low swimming ability
USA Swimming Foundationfrom the Pacific is where many of the kids we take out live, having never been in it
cost to participating youth and families
of net donations fund youth programs
Minutes From the Coast and Never in It
Orange County has one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, and many of the young people we work with live twenty minutes from the Pacific and have never been in it. Not once. The barrier is rarely interest. It is transport, equipment, cost, and knowing that the door exists at all.
My Clean Ocean is based in Newport Beach and runs every expedition from Newport Harbor on a professionally operated vessel with trained crew, at no cost to the family. The point is not a day out. It is the first step on a path into the ocean industry: marine science, underwater filmmaking, conservation, dive instruction.
The same kids document what they see. Their footage becomes the visual record of a changing coast, and their hands go into the water to put kelp back where 90% of it has been lost.
Four Ways Into the Water
A full day at sea
Hands-on seamanship, marine wildlife encounters and a first real relationship with the ocean, on a working vessel out of Newport Harbor, at zero cost to the family.
Underwater cameras
Professional underwater cinematography and storytelling. Students learn to frame, shoot and tell a story that makes people protect what they can finally see.
Research from the shoreline
Volunteers and students conduct meaningful, peer-reviewed marine research with real tools and training, right from the Orange County coast.
Restoring our own coast
Youth-led kelp out-planting, long-term monitoring and underwater documentation to bring Southern California's kelp forests back.
Questions From Orange County
Where is My Clean Ocean based?
In Newport Beach, California. Expeditions leave from Newport Harbor and work the Orange County coast and the kelp forests of Southern California. The organization's mailing address is 450 Newport Center Dr #570, Newport Beach, CA 92660, phone (949) 385-3554.
Is it really free for kids?
Yes. Every program is free to the young people and families we serve: the boat, the wetsuit and mask, the mentor, the camera, the certification. 100% of net donations fund it. No child or family ever pays.
Who are the programs for?
Young people from underserved communities in Orange County and coastal Southern California, many of whom live twenty minutes from the Pacific and have never been in it. The barrier is rarely interest. It is transport, equipment, cost, and knowing the door exists.
Do kids need to know how to swim or dive?
No. Youth Ocean Experience days run on a professionally operated vessel with trained crew and a safety diver, and every outing starts with a water-safety orientation. Swimming, snorkeling and dive certification are things the program teaches over time, not requirements to start.
Can a school or youth group bring a group?
Yes. Email donate@mycleanocean.org or use the contact page with the group size, ages and the school or organization, and we will work out a date on the water and the waiver paperwork.
How do I volunteer in Orange County?
Three ways in: ocean educator (tide pools, marine biology basics), creative mentor (photography and video), and field guide (expeditions, beach cleanups, underwater surveys). No teaching degree or dive certification needed to start. Apply on the volunteer page.
What is the Guardians of the Kelp program?
A youth-led restoration program for Southern California's kelp forests, which have lost roughly 90% of their cover since 2014 in parts of the state: hands-on kelp out-planting, long-term monitoring, and underwater documentation.
How can I support the work locally?
Give on the donate page, put a kid on the boat during the match, donate a boat or marine equipment with free pickup anywhere in Southern California, or volunteer. My Clean Ocean is a registered 501(c)(3), EIN 41-4167030, registered with the California Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts.
Put a Kid on the Boat
$100 is one underserved kid's day on the water. Through December 1 every gift is matched.
EIN 41-4167030 · 100% of net donations fund youth programs. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.