Are you stumped trying to find the perfect gift for the ocean lover in your life? This holiday season, give a gift that gives back to our blue planet! Check out our holiday gift guide below for some inspiration that helps you reduce your impact on the ocean and Great Lakes, supports the conservation of the special places in our waters, or brings a bit of paradise to your doorstep. 

• America’s Marine Sanctuaries: A Photographic Exploration Book: An extraordinary, photographic journey through the fourteen sites that make up the National Marine Sanctuary System published by Smithsonian Books. Through photographs, America’s Marine Sanctuaries tells the history of these incredible places, the animals that call them home, and the people who steward them. The book underscores how marine sanctuaries have shaped our nation’s development, survival, and identity, and celebrates these protected underwater treasures for all they can tell us about our communities, our country, and our world. America’s Marine Sanctuaries is the perfect way to bring a bit of our ocean and Great Lakes into someone’s home.

• Sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastic: Norton Point recovers ocean plastic and makes products from it, both to address the challenge of marine plastics and to reduce new materials produced. In addition to making products that are sustainable and durable, the company reinvests five percent of their profits into research, education, and development related to the removal and repurposing of ocean plastic.

• A gift to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation on behalf of your loved ones: This year, the Foundation has the opportunity to unlock $60,000 in matching funds as a group of generous donors is ready to match your donation, dollar for dollar, before December 31. They share in our goal to meet current and future challenges head on, and your gift will empower us to act. You can be certain that every dollar of your gift has an impact on the health of our ocean, Great Lakes, and planet. With your help, we will accomplish so much: save more whales, restore more coral reefs, create more ocean and Great Lakes champions, and protect more of our most important resources.

• A white noise machine or calming app that features the sounds of the sea: Hearing crashing ocean waves, harmonic whale calls, or seagull calls in the distance can help us focus on working or learning from home, soothe us to sleep, or help us be present and take our minds off of our daily stresses, even if for a moment. There are countless noise-makers to choose from but check out this one from HoMedics to hear relaxing ocean waves, or this one from Lucky Rain to pair the sounds of the sea with an ocean waves light projector.

• A Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument 15th Anniversary T-Shirt: On June 15, 2006, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation, creating the largest marine protected area in the world at the time. A year later, it was officially given its Hawaiian name, Papahānaumokuākea. In 2021, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument will celebrate fifteen years of accomplishments made in conservation management, restoration and discovery, and recognize Hawaii’s role in ushering in a new genre of marine conservation: large-scale marine protected areas. Join in on the celebration and give a gift that gives back to our ocean with their cool new t-shirts including their newest design celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Papahānaumokuākea. You can also travel back in time and purchase the relaunched designs of the Papahānaumokuākea 10-Year Anniversary,  Deep Reef 2016, and I pono ka ‘ike i ke kumu.

• A Beach Day Candle by Homesick: Scent is one of the strongest senses tied to our memories. And who doesn’t love the smell of the salty air that reminds you of the warm sun and cool ocean breeze? No matter where your loved ones live, they can imagine themselves at the beach or the Hawaiian Islands all year long.

• A home cooked meal with a sustainable twist: You can give the gift of service and quality time by showing off your culinary expertise and choosing sustainable seafood. Share your love of the ocean while helping to restore the health of our oceans and ensure food for us, our children, and our grandchildren. Check out one of our free sustainable seafood recipes and print out one of our recipe cards featuring the creations of world-renowned chefs to share.

• TisBest Charity Gift Cards: Give the gift of goodness this holiday season. TisBest Charity Gift Cards work just like conventional gift cards, but with one meaningful exception: the recipient “spends” the card on the charity of their choice. This gift empowers your loved ones to support causes they’re passionate about and replaces gifts of stuff with gifts of good.