Operation Swimway, Experiential Conservation Program for Superyachts

YachtAid Global is best known for its charitable work connecting superyachts to communities in crisis around the globe, helping to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid after natural disasters. The non-profit also is closely aligned with conservation causes, and Operation Swimway is its latest initiative. The expedition and dive specialists from Tahiti Private Expeditions are joining it in this incredible cause--as can you.

Operation Swimway enables interested owners, guests, and crew to work closely with distinguished members of the scientific community to accelerate the conservation of pelagic species. The collaborative efforts are focused on conservation of critical migration corridors for sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, whales, and billfish. Overfishing and bycatch have dramatically impacted these corridors, making it all the more crucial to help the species reach new feeding grounds and maintain their population numbers. 

In this episode of Megayacht News Radio, you'll hear how you can join in on planned activities with scientists, including assisting with dives, operating underwater equipment, tagging, measuring animals, and learning hands-on conservation methods and science. It's an exciting educational experience and comes with the pride of knowing you've contributed to ocean preservation efforts.

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Transcript

(voiceover): 0:50

chWelcome to Megayacht News Radio the first and longest running podcast series dedicated to the large yacht industry hosted by Diane Byrne, the editor of MegayachtNews.com. We feature conversations with engaging and inspiring people in yachting from shipyard CEOs, to designers, from yacht managers, to young entrepreneurs. And yes, even owners. You'll learn how they got into yachting, how they're building better businesses, and especially how they're helping people like you get more enjoyment out of the yachting lifestyle.

Diane Byrne: 1:39

Welcome everyone. If you're a yacht owner, crew member or otherwise engaged in yachting Surely you know about YachtAid Global. The nonprofit has enlisted more than 300 yachts to participate in its humanitarian aid, conservation and disaster relief responses in more than 25 countries around the world. One of its latest programs is Operation Swimway, which is helping to accelerate the conservation of pelagic species. These include sharks, manta rays and other large sea life. YachtAid Global has an important strategic partner for operations swim way that being Tahiti Private Expeditions. This company, of course, has a team of professional guides, including marine naturalists, along with dive instructors and professional underwater photographers, who altogether plan highly personalized expedition and dive trips in French Polynesia and beyond. together through operations swim way yacht, a global and Tahiti Private Expeditions are our providing immersive educational experiences for people like you, focusing on the conservation of critical migration corridors. Here to explain more about how this happens and how you can get involved are Steve Jackman from YachtAid Global and Christelle Holler of Tahiti Private Expeditions. So Steve and Christelle, welcome to Megayacht News Radio. I'm glad to have you both here today.

Christelle Holler: 3:11

Thanks, Diane. It's great to be here today.

Steve Jackman: 3:15

Thanks, Diane. Appreciate you having us on.

Diane Byrne: 3:17

Absolutely. Steve, why don't you go first, can you briefly describe what operations swim way is all about a little bit more than I did, obviously, in introduction and and really how it came about.

Steve Jackman: 3:32

Nice. Well, first of all, I joined the YachtAid Global just seven months ago, but I've been supporting them as an independent, since I met Mark about 15 years ago. So obviously a great, great organization, helping out in so many different aspects of the world, you know, supporting our coastal communities in the in the oceans that we that we use to to enjoy the boating life. Obviously, disaster relief, and everything is something we've done, but opera Operation Swimway was is a conservation program, we started that ties into everything I just mentioned there. That is, you know, featuring and doing the investment of equipment in science and ocean currents conservation, which enables owners and guests and crew to get involved to accelerate the conservation of the pelagic species. As far as how it came along, I think it was just the next step, obviously, with Mark Drewelow from C to C being well connected. Disaster relief was that was kind of the first step. But the kind of entirety of of the industry and what we need, the cruising areas to be, you know, clean water. It was just a it was kind of a natural fit to kind of progress beyond the disaster relief into supporting both the environmental conservation and then the marine life and ocean conservation. globally.

Diane Byrne: 5:06

Sure, and I would imagine, too, in some respects, disaster relief and conservation kind of go hand in hand when you mobilize all the yachts that you do at YachtAid Global to respond to some type of humanitarian crisis. There is a natural disaster element to it and seeing what can be done to help prevent future issues or maybe continue to protect the marine environment where those communities are is is something that becomes more top of mind.

Steve Jackman: 5:36

Yes. 100%. You know, obviously, we're seeing, you know, a frequency of storms, obviously, the hurricanes that go into what are the underwater volcanoes you're seeing in places like Vanuatu But the the aspect of that and how it all ties together, it does make sense. Now that the process of how we get into operations swim away and actually determine, you know, what we're actually going to do is a little longer than just seeing a disaster and reacting to it, where, you know, there's a lot of, you know, identifying the areas, doing the proper baseline surveys, to determine which which species are, you know, are at risk, what the rate of change is, as far as how that risk is there. And then, obviously, conducting those studies, dealing with the, with the governments to get their support, and then making the the initiatives to to get our, you know, the, our, our donors, and the contributors involved to to help us make a difference.

Diane Byrne: 6:44

Right, I definitely want to get you to explain a little bit more about that, and how the the yachts get involved, and then how you end up getting the government's involved. But first, I want to make sure that I get Christelle to talk about some things too. So Christelle, how did Tahiti Private Expeditions get involved in all this, and what really motivated you?

Christelle Holler: 7:04

Okay? Well, my husband, Rodolphe, is also my business partner. We've been contributing to conservation actions since we set up our company about 15 years ago, but even before. Rodolphe learned to dive when he was about eight, thanks to his dad, himself a dive instructor. And I put my head snorkeling in the Med when I was about the same age. So we were both drawn by the ocean from a very early age. And in 2003, we were already living in French Polynesia, and we were in a remote island in that country, Rodolphe was diving there. And he took a picture of a certain shark that had been maimed by local fishermen, for the Chinese shark fin industry. And it was heartbreaking. So the photo was published. And it sparked emotion throughout the dive world. And ultimately, it led to a petition to the French Polynesian government, which made the decision to protect sharks throughout the country in 2006. So that was a huge success. So when we say that Tahiti Private Expeditions, taking part in conservation, educating our clients on superyachts, so through in house conferences, all this became an evidence side of simply running a business. But we also wanted to do more and feeding within the program where not only would we contribute and identify ourselves, but also where we could completely be involved using our expertise of the region and knowledge of life on a super yacht to the benefits of conservation. And we also wanted to contribute to a meaningful program--science oriented, that was very important to us, which our clients would be able to follow over time, and see the results, even in a few years, thanks to regular follow up. So we've known Captain Mark Drewelow before he started YachtAid Global. We often started with him, we often--sorry, chatted with him about his motivations. And he was always very inspirational. So early next year, we finally had the opportunity to really work together. And a challenge arose with Operation Swimway with one of our clients over here, and we jumped in. And we all love that. So that was a great fit between YachtAid Global and our company and the client. So it felt like a natural and easy collaboration, despite all the logistics challenges in remote areas. But then, you know, once we completed this, we knew that we, you know, we had been working along the same lines and same spirits, we didn't want to stop. So that's, uh, you know, that's when the collaboration started.

Diane Byrne: 9:54

Okay, great. So Steve, walked me through the process of how the yacht owners and their guests and the crew actually all participate. And could you even give maybe a specific, a specific example of how you've already collaborated with some owners in this regard?

Steve Jackman: 10:12

Yeah. Obviously, a lot of it is just the brand awareness of people in the industry, you know, understanding what we do, what we're, you know, what we've done in the past what we're doing now and kind of the, the target of where we're trying to get with, with making making a difference. So you know, we're all pretty much in the industry and we've been there for four years, myself included, Mark included. So with that network, obviously, just it just comes down to communication, whether it be at boat shows, whether it be through our social media or email marketing, just talking about what we're doing. And people having the awareness of, of the initiatives we're taking. You know, obviously private owners, private yachts, yacht owners is a big part of it as well. But it doesn't, it doesn't just stop there. We actually have a charter yacht right now, that is going to be out in the, in the Cocos Islands. And they're going to be doing a near the end of April, early May, they're going to be doing a 10 year, 10 day project that is specific to well, tiger sharks, as far as some some studies that are going on there. So we've got a few that are going on right now. But it just comes from from just networking and communicating, both with owners, obviously, in forming charter companies, so that there's an opportunity to do that. And that's the, you know, obviously, the yacht charter companies. And then there's partnering with great teams like Tahiti Private Expeditions who were the operators themselves, and just educating their clients. So the more we can get out and discussing, we're obviously doing that now talking to you to get the word out to, you know, this is an opportunity, you know, so if you are out there, and going for a one week, two week, three week, you know, some people are doing three month charters, don't just go out and enjoy yourself. But there's a lot of people that want to make a difference and have the means to and and, you know, we're trying to be that vehicle to help their altruistic efforts come true, and and do it in a very efficient and effective way.

Diane Byrne: 12:27

So when they contact you, are people saying,'Hey, we saw your social media posts,' or 'we heard about Operation Swimway, we're going to be in XYZ region, how can we participate?' Is it or is it more like an organic conversation that just happens to open the door to the further opportunity?

Steve Jackman: 12:46

It's a little bit of both honestly, where, you know, we are promoting our initiatives in different global areas. And talking at you know, I do a lot of both shows, obviously. So we're talking about, you know, two clients that are, well, we're thinking about going into that area this year. So it's both like the push and the pull. And then there's times where, you know, we'll be talking about our initiative, and they'll come to us and say,'Hey, we're actually headed in that way, we really want to help, what can we do,' and then we will determine with the clients, the timing of what they're doing, what support how far we are along during certain processes, to get to be effective. So whether it's, you know, we're talking about Operation Swimway, but maybe maybe it doesn't work, specifically with the timeline, but they want to help. So we can look at other aspects, whether it be, you know, an educational program, or some clean water access, or follow up to a previous disaster relief Initiative, where we kind of live in that gray area, blood that you want to help when you're going to be there. Okay, let's let's start getting there and actually coming up with actual tasks, to actually be effective versus just, you know, a lot of people that do just general donations, we try to be very specific to your efforts, and here are the exact results from your efforts or your financial contribution.

Diane Byrne: 14:08

And then I realize it's probably a case by case basis, too, when you're when you're working with them, but are any of these yachts actually bringing scientists on board, or you pairing them with scientists who are in the region? So that they can they can bring them on board?

Steve Jackman: 14:22

100%. And that's exactly it. Right? So, you know, most times they want to obviously make a contribution they want to help. So when we are doing that, we're doing the the conservation, that's that's the idea that the scientists are on board. And they're partaking in the efforts, whether it's, you know, if they've got the skill set, to to actually be active, whether it be like, you know, we're doing dive conservation, and getting into the sharks, and, you know, how do you? Are you a certified diver? Are you comfortable doing it? But if not, if not, then you know, having the scientists on board to do the work where, you know, they're seeing seeing everything from the yacht firsthand to what's happening. But you're right, it's totally an a case by case basis, to the donor and to the cause.

Diane Byrne: 15:07

Right. And then Christelle, from your standpoint, with the clients that you're working with, are, are they coming to you and saying, 'Hey, we heard about Operation Swimway, too? How can we work that into the trip that we're already discussing?' Or is that also in some cases the entry point to a conversation to work with you and your team?

Christelle Holler: 15:26

Um, no, I think Steve has really well summarized, you know, everything just before. I think it's, it's a mix of several things, but there is definitely a general idea from everyone before they arrive, or once they have arrived in French Polynesia, when we chat with them, whoever it is where whether it's the crew, owners, captains, they want to give back, how can they give back. So it always comes back during conversations anytime we have them. So let's say like for crew, or just like for our team, they're really grateful to have a job and experience incredible adventures on the ocean, you know, and thanks to the ocean. For owners, when we chat with them, they are aware that they have the means to make a difference. And owners we work with are usually divers or snorkelers and it helps a lot. And besides, our team is also very interested in conservation. So through the conferences we do on board during an expedition about the marine life, there's this question, you know, as I just said, 'What can we do to help?' And so we can be proactive and discussed before the other arrives, which we always do in any case, and offer them the opportunity to contribute, as Steve mentioned before, there's plenty of, you know, ways to contribute to conservation, through Operation Swimway. And we also chat with the captains, the owners, and even when the when the boat is still in the shipyard being built. And this is actually what we're trying to develop as well. So then they may decide when the boat is still in the shipyard to include Operation Swimway into their own program, and their on schedule. So to answer your question, being are they proactive or are we tailoring experiences, it's really a mix of both. So we're really aiming at anticipating more now to discuss opportunities with them well before they've arrived, and not just here, but also all over the region, because they can start, they can start from the Caribbean, you know, working on Operation Swimway. And we really want to stress that they have these amazing vessels cruising these remote areas, and special part of the world. And they can become the most incredible research platform for a little while, whether they are on board or not talking about the owners, of course. So it's very engaging for all onboard and crew to just, you know, take part in it and, and they do a great job at assisting the scientists. So we're also now working as Steve said, to extend the opportunity to charter guests, not just yacht owners, as chartering is a very regular activity in most South Pacific destinations. And we also want to have the charterers to take part in this more incredible exciting and educational projects. So tagging a tiger shark, for example, is really is a once in a lifetime experience, chatting with the science, the with the science team, attending the lectures on previous previous projects, learning more about the sharks, helping researchers or simply witness what they do. So these are all various possible things. So this year, Tahiti Private Expeditions is working closely with YAG to put together like a more consistent program aimed at charters, so it really matches with the reality of a charter. Because it's it's run in a very different way than than a private yacht.

Diane Byrne: 19:04

Right. Sounds good. So ultimately, what do each of you want Operation Swimway to do, besides helping to protect these species that certainly need all the help that they can get? Christelle, what would you say?

Christelle Holler: 19:24

I would say that besides of working only on the protection of these large migratory animals, we want to give our clients the opportunity to cruise with a purpose through a long term program where they can be engaged over several trips if they want to around the Pacific. So we are also fully supported by our team. So that helps a lot. And clients who have had the chance to experience this will never look at cruising the same way again, I promise you. So it becomes not just a beautiful holiday. It is it is just an incredible experience. You know, and then these people are engaged with a science team with sharks. So everybody is really it's like a huge collaboration between everyone the the yacht owners, the crew or the charter clients, YAG, ourselves, the captains, and even more so when there's kids on board. I mean, I think for kids, it really is life changing. And they all can speak about it and share with everyone. And that's really important because networking anywhere but more specifically in this industry is key. So engaging yachts that have around the world programs is ideal. So they can decide according to their schedule when and where they would like to take part and how. It gives us plenty of time to prepare, as these expeditions need months of preparation, most of the time. It's not a piece of cake, but it's a lot of fun even though I mean, the challenge, the challenges make make it really fun. And the program like Operation Swimway also benefits the image of our industry at large. And YachtAid Global has allowed yachts over the past 17 years to show how essential these vessels can be in disaster relief. For example, they are the first ones to be on location after a disaster, after a hurricane, well before any governmental help. So on a daily basis for us at Tahiti Private Expeditions, and we conclude like this, it is really motivational and inspirational as well to be part of such a high profile program. And we are really fully dedicated to it and looking forward to, you know, what we are going to develop in the future.

Diane Byrne: 21:40

Very good, very good. Steve, what would you say? What ultimately, would you and the team at YachtAid Global like to see Operation Swimway be able to achieve?

Steve Jackman: 21:51

Well, first of all, Christelle kind of hit the nail on the head and very articulately put out exactly what we're what we're actually trying to accomplish. And, you know, looking at, like the, in December, the biodiversity conference that happened, where the initiative to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030 is kind of a grand scale of what we're, you know, we're trying to take their lead and do that. Now that initiative is, you know, more than double than what the initial plan was back in 2020. So, you know, currently, I think it's 8% of our of our oceans are protected. And, you know, we got seven years to get that eight all the way to 30. So it's a pretty big hill to climb. And I think the clients that we deal with, being very altruistic, empathetic, individuals that have the means that to help, as are, as Christelle said, you know, there is a slight stigma, in circles with our industry, and this is a great opportunity for us to help be the vehicle for change and, and use them to, to make to assist in that in that goal of protecting 30% of our oceans, while at the same time creating unbelievable, memorable experiences for the owners, captain and crew that are partaking these. Because it really is a heartwarming and a great feeling when you're able to, you know, have the opportunity to make such a big difference.

Diane Byrne: 23:26

Well said, well said, I think that's the perfect note to end on. Steve and Christelle, thank you both so much for joining the podcast today. I know that our listeners will certainly agree that conservation is crucial. And Operation Swimway is definitely playing a strategic role in that effort. So thank you so much for your for what you're doing.

Steve Jackman: 23:48

Thank you so much for having us. We appreciate it.

Christelle Holler: 23:50

Yeah, that's correct. It's a great platform for us to be able to chat about it. Thank you.

Diane Byrne: 23:55

You're very welcome, very much. It was a pleasure for us to have you on. Everyone, to learn more about Pperation Swmway, you can visit YachtAid Global's website, which is yachtaidglobal.org. If you go to the tab Our Work at the top of the navigation bar, you can scroll down to the Operation Swimway details. Until next time, I'm Diane Byrne.

(voiceover): 24:24

That wraps up this episode of Megayacht News Radio. Thanks for listening. If you like what you hear, please share the word on social media and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Audible, iHeartRadio, or Spotify. And of course, to learn more about what's going on in the world of large yacht cruising, new construction, and design, check out our daily updated website, the award winning megayachtnews.com.