High Hopes: Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative Supports Mission Blue's Quest to Save Our Oceans

Mission Blue announces its latest Hope Spot, situated in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula

Even for city dwellers, the beauty of the world’s waters and coastal regions needs little by way of introduction or explanation. It is precisely this beauty that Mission Blue, with the support of Rolex's Perpetual Planet initiative, are working to preserve for generations to come.

Acclaimed marine biologist, oceanographer and conservationist Sylvia Earle established Mission Blue to help promote marine conservation on a global scale. In partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet initiative, Mission Blue has established a series of Hope Spots—sites of ecological significance that are vital to preserving marine life and the surrounding ecosystems—and it aims to empower local communities to take their future in their own hands.

Above Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, during an expedition to a Hope Spot at Cabo Pulmo, Los Cabos, Mexico, in 2017. (Photo: Courtesy of Rolex/Kip Evans)

Mission Blue is helping to create a protectedswimway between the Cocos and theGalÃ¡pagos Islands.

Humpback whales migrate to the warmwaters around the Osa Peninsula to breed. (Photo: Courtesy of Rolex)

The diving team from Innoceana workingat CaÃ±o Island in an effort to improvescientific knowledge of the area.

Photo 1 of 3 Mission Blue is helping to create a protected swimway between the Cocos and the Galapagos Islands (Photo: Courtesy of Migramar)

Photo 2 of 3 Humpback whales migrate to the warm waters around the Osa Peninsula to breed (Photo: Courtesy of Rolex)

Photo 3 of 3 The diving team from Innoceana working at Cano Island in an effort to improve scientific knowledge of the area (Photo: courtesy of Rolex)

More than 140 Hope Spots have been identified, ranging from the Gulf of California to the Aegean Sea to the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica. Currently, eight per cent of the world’s oceans are officially protected by marine sanctuaries, and Mission Blue aims to increase that proportion to 30 per cent by 2030, in line with the target set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In July 2021, another new Hope Spot was announced in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, the breeding ground of migratory humpback whales—which makes the remarkable 10,000km journey every year from Antarctica to the Central American country—as well as manta rays, hammerhead sharks and sea turtles. The Marine Corridor of Osa also encompasses the life surrounding Cano Island’s coral reefs.

The nomination of this new Hope Spot enhances existing protections in the area surrounding Cano Island, including Corcovado National Park, Terraba-Sierpe National Wetlands and the Cano Island Biological Reserve.

Throughout its 117-year history, Rolex has championed the spirit of exploration. Providing timekeeping devices for mountaineers and deep sea divers—and creating the world’s first waterproof timepiece, the Rolex Oyster watch—it has partnered with Earle’s Mission Blue to ensure the world’s natural wonders are preserved and that the spirit of exploration can live on.

Under the Same Sky
Though we often feel worlds apart, the truth is that today, more than ever, people are as connected as ever. Local is the new global, and the only way to make an impact on a global scale is to first engage on the home front. Under The Same Sky is a collection of stories that demonstrates this undeniable interconnectivity and the shared passions and actions that unite us. In partnership with Rolex, through its Perpetual Planet initiative, we bring together key advocates from the region and individuals from around the world who are crafting solutions to environmental challenges and committing to a sustainable future.

Learn more about the Rolex Perpetual Planet initiative here.

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High Hopes: Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative Supports Mission Blue's Quest to Save Our Oceans