Breach the Surface

Breach the Surface, Inc is a 501(c)3 organization improving ocean literacy rates through digital educational programming to support ocean conservation.

The general public’s knowledge about ocean-related issues is alarmingly low both nationally and internationally. A 2005 study, “Environmental Literacy in America,” estimated that less than 2% of all American adults are environmentally literate, highlighting the need for improvements in the education system. A 2018 study, “Development of the International Ocean Literacy Survey,” found that the American public is more literate about video games and gambling than our world’s oceans. Oceans provide us with countless vital ecosystem services, but they are threatened by issues including climate change, pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. Unfortunately, schools are under-equipped to educate on these topics, leaving students without the knowledge necessary to address these concerns and lead us in a positive direction for ocean conservation.

According to the US Census Bureau, the city of Tampa has roughly ​​330,000 youth (18 years old or younger), making up 21.5% of Tampa’s total population. Fewer than half of Hillsborough County’s 27 public high schools offer any marine science-related courses and those that do often use outdated materials that lack a clear, actionable purpose. Of the schools that offer a course, students are met with outdated information with no real purpose behind the material taught. Denise Dennison, a Hillsborough County Science Coach, has described these marine science curriculums as being driven by "passion projects" rather than comprehensive instruction.

Breach's programs seek to fill this gap by engaging youth, educational institutions, and the general public in ocean education that meets them where they are and directs their attention to critical issues facing our oceans. Programs like our digital podcast, Shellphone, allow us to highlight content from ocean educators, enhance in-school curricula, connect with broad audiences, and assess real impacts on our local youth. To date, Breach has engaged with approximately 5.2 thousand individuals of all ages via our digital programs.