Sustainability at Captain Zodiac

• Provide meaningful, safe, and responsible interactions with marine life. When interacting with wildlife we remain at an appropriate distance, based on regulations and animal comfort level. We never touch marine life and never guarantee sightings, creating an understanding and enjoyment of wild animals as they are.
• In order to protect the marine resources we enjoy during our tours we refrain from swimming with marine mammals, anchoring on live coral, and practices that disrupt the natural environment.
• We ask guests to bring refillable water bottles and have a refill station in our store and on the boat. We also have reusable water bottles available for purchase hoping to discourage the use of single use items. When necessary we have compostable cup options and have eliminated the use of single use plastics on our boats.
• We do not allow the use of reef harming sunscreens on our tours. We have reef safe sunscreen available during our check-in for use as well as for purchase to encourage continued use after the trip is over. We use these products as a means to educate our visitors on protecting Hawaii’s delicate coral reefs.
• We use clean engines, replacing them based on manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure they have as minimal of an impact as possible. Our engines are 4-cylinders and are rated as ultra low emissions by the California Air Resources Board.
• Through our charters we are able to provide photos and observations to contribute to research, helping further the human understanding of wildlife and therefore, how we can better coexist.
• We provide historical and cultural knowledge to our guests helping to create a stronger understanding of the local community and the amazing culture that still exists in Hawaii. We hope to provide a means for all of our visitors to explore, enjoy, and respect Hawaii. We strive to create a connection that guests carry with them long after leaving our boats. As we work to deliver our sustainability promises we intend to continually assess and improve our performance.

For areas that you are unable to cover with clothing it is best to use a reef safe sunscreen option anytime you are in or around water. For Kealakekua Bay snorkel trips it is required that only reef safe sunscreens are used.

• • Be aware! Although many sunscreens are labeled by “reef safe” stickers, it is extremely important to look at the ingredient list as many of them still contain harmful chemicals such as Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, Octocrylene, Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), Methyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben Butyl Paraben, Benzyl Paraben, Triclosan
  • Look for sunscreens that are mineral based. When the active ingredient is zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are the best choices for protecting the reef and your skin from the sun.

We now offer our guests 26 oz. reusable Captain Zodiac aluminum water bottles. They are offered at a discounted rate at the time of your booking. We offer these water bottles to encourage guests to reuse them in the future both while visiting our island and when they return home. A million plastic water bottles are bought every minute around the world and a small amount of those bottles are actually recycled. Please help us do our part and use reusable water bottles and other reusable items over single use plastics.

There is no shortage of activities in Hawai’i but there are some operators who go above and beyond to continually improve their commitment to our islands and the people. Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawai’i has an excellent guide to find the operators that put in the work to make travel more sustainable. We highly recommend taking this guide into account when planning your Hawai’i itinerary!

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Check out these resources to understand more about why we use sustainable practices such as reef safe sunscreen and reusable water bottles:

Kahalu’u Bay Education Center’s guide to reef safe sunscreens

Educational video on sunscreens and their effects on coral reefs

Reefs at Risk – Hawaii’s ban on sunscreens

Disturbing single use plastic facts from Earth Day

A million bottles a minute

New beach in Hawaii already littered with micro plastics

Everything You Need To Know About Single-Use Plastic Bans And Plastic Bag Recycling