Making wishes come true for underprivileged kids and adults for PADI certifications.
We were inspired by our vision to provide kids with hands-on marine-oriented programs. Funds raised for these trips support, Oceans For Youth, (www.oceansforyouth.com) and Ocean Pals Sea of Tomorrow (kids with Cancer program, offered through Beneath The Sea http://www.beneaththesea.org. One adult and one child are sponsored each year. Each Year we have provided four or five training grants worth $500 each to the Woman Diver Hall Of Fame Scholarship program. Anyone can apply for these training grants.
Please do look them up. www.WDHOF.org Very few people are aware of this program, and each year much more could be available.
Ocean Wishes also sponsors 10-13 local and international scholarships for kids and adults to learn how to dive with a fully paid scholarship for a PADI beginner (Jr. Open Water) or PADI Advanced Open Water training certification program. The number of scholarships depends on the funds raised for this program.
An ocean experience is a source of inspiration for children going through family or personal difficulties, difficulties which can include poverty, loss of a family member, or overcoming illness. An Ocean Wish can be more than a dream come true for a child. It can be a catalyst that helps overcome fears, ignite a child’s belief in themselves, or a promise of future hope.
Where is the Ocean Wish provided?
A fully funded PADI beginner or advanced training course located at the closest PADI training center to the participants of the Ocean Wish. Ocean Wishes contacts and pre-pays the course materials and fees and equipment rental for each participant.
What Does an Ocean Wish include?
An Ocean Wish is a wish for a child to receive a full scholarship for a PADI Dive Certification course. This child will be given books or E: Learning materials, and full PADI certification paid for by Ocean Wishes to the nearest PADI dive center selected by the applicant or their family.
How to Make an Ocean Wish
Step 1: Referral
We rely on friends, family, other organizations, parents, and the children themselves for referrals.
Step 2: Eligibility
A referred child must have reached the age of 10 be under the age of 18 at the time of referral, and be experiencing family or personal difficulty, which could include poverty, loss of a family member, overcoming illness or another extreme circumstance or extraordinary recognition from family and or friends. It is our desire that the Ocean Wish would truly impact the life of the child and their family and that they would not have otherwise had this opportunity. They cannot have already been a recipient of an Ocean Wish.
We are looking for kids who love the ocean. Remember, this is an ocean-based award. We want kids who are looking at the ocean as a career, whether it be a Dive Instructor, biologist, environmental lawyer, or research scientist. Ocean Wishes is about preserving and protecting the ocean and the planet. We need an army of children wanting to keep the only world that allows us to exist.
Step 3: Acceptance
Submit a letter of request that includes information about yourself and your relationship to your referral and why the child or family should be given an Ocean Wish. Also include contact information for the family and yourself, supporting information, and a picture. Ocean Wishes, P.O. Box 291030, Columbia, SC 29229
All applications must be received each year by March 1 of each year. They will be read, and a family picked on April 1 of each year. We will choose the awarded participants based on the applicant’s information. Applicants will be advised no later than May 1 of each year.
Step 4: Experience Our Underwater World
Enjoy! An Ocean Wish creates an unforgettable family experience they will remember and cherish forever. It is a unique opportunity to meet other children and to build friendships, family bonds, and self-confidence.