Operation Swimway

Protecting Oceans

There’s an untouched strip of ocean near Costa Rica, where pelagic species roam upstream through a large 700km long swimway that connects the Galapagos Islands to the neighbouring Cocos Islands. The Cocos-Galapagos Swimway is a crucial migration path that allows marine life such as sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays to migrate throughout the year to reach new feeding grounds and protected breeding areas. Whilst both the Galapagos and Cocos Islands are protected environments, marine life is still vulnerable to unlicensed fishing along this migratory path.

Cocos Islands

The enchanting Cocos Islands are completely remote and vastly untouched by humans. This protected national park has become a haven for marine wildlife, claiming to house over 200 species of fish including reef sharks. There’s no airstrip, so the only way to access this area is by boat. This is how yachts have come to play a pivotal part in ensuring the success of these scientific and environmental research missions that operate here. It's the commitment to ocean preservation that enables these initiatives to exist and thrive, from both non-profit organisations and the people that donate to these causes.

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YachtAid Global, a conservation charity that Y.CO regularly partners with on sustainability initiatives, leads a project called Operation Swimway – a programme that enables marine scientists to tag and track sharks that migrate along the Galapagos Swimway, in order to research their behaviour and understand their crucial migratory habits, allowing YachtAid Global to collate data that indicates which areas of the ocean need to be protected and why. Throughout the history of the Earth, species have disappeared through the course of natural evolution, with new species appearing in their place. But with the presence of modern human behaviour, the rate of extinction is increasing exponentially and the regeneration of new species cannot keep up.

Our Ocean

These regions offer some of the most extraordinary diving experiences – envisage dropping 25m down to the seabed and sitting with scalloped hammerhead sharks and leatherback turtles – so as well as being major migratory paths and important research sites, they are also places of wonder, where we can get closer to the natural world, devoid of human intervention, reminding us of the sheer beauty that is present on Earth. These regions are increasingly few and far between and it is our responsibility to protect them. So the significance of this operation is two-fold – to protect these species that long and freely roamed the Earth before us, but to also preserve the ocean for us, that we are so fortunate to enjoy aboard our yachts in the Mediterranean, or during our diving expeditions in the Caribbean, or when snorkelling along the stunning coral reefs in Indonesia, or surfing the waves in Costa Rica – this ecosystem is precious to all of us.

Tangible Results

Operation Swimway has been operating successfully for 10 years, with investment and contributions leading to real results. Sharks are chosen because they exist at the top of the food chain, and so their behavior acts as a crucial indicator and reflection of the broader health of the ocean. Shark tagging allows YachtAid Global to collect data on marine life movement patterns, providing real evidence to govern how oceans should be protected. The project itself is very active, often running in the Caribbean throughout April, Mexico in May, and Costa Rica and Galapagos in June. It’s a global operation crucial to the ongoing and future protection of marine life that will slow the extinction of pelagic species.

Family Activity

Over the years, yacht owners have offered their vessels to these research operations, providing a critical platform for scientists to reach these remote areas and operate from. With the rise in educational charters over recent years, learning about ocean conservation and shark tagging is an activity that can be enjoyed during your charter. 69.4m motor yacht Firebird is amongst such yachts, actively offering its facilities to YachtAid Global, which can additionally be included in a yacht charter itinerary for curious individuals. There is lots of opportunity to interact on board. Guests can enjoy a detailed presentation explaining the initiative, followed by the chance to meet marine scientists and join them on a dive to tag the sharks.

Citizen Science

These expeditions bring together scientists from the fertile highlands of Ecuador to the coastal plains of Mexico, all leading specialists in their respective fields collaborating together to accelerate the research. Participating in this project during your yacht charter offers the opportunity to fully engage with the intricacies of ocean preservation, understanding the needs of the present and learning about the future of environmental protection. This is a one-off experience suitable for families and an insightful, educational experience for kids. YachtAid Global has set a goal to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. With sustainability fast becoming the front priority, we hope to connect the yachting community to projects like this, so that collectively we can strive to work towards a better, greener future for yachting.