Every year, the world celebrates World Ocean Month in June and World Ocean Day on June 8. As America’s leader in coastal and ocean science, technology, and management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) invites you to join in celebrating the ocean and its countless resources that inspire us, nourish us, and benefit our local economies.
Throughout June, join NOAA on Facebook, X, and Instagram (#OceanMonthNOAA) as they share engaging content, including captivating videos, stunning imagery, and fascinating trivia about our ocean and coasts.
Get free resources and ideas to create a World Ocean Day event HERE.
10 More Ways to Help our Ocean
Check out the 10 simple things you can do to help our ocean – whether you’re at home, around town, on the water, or anywhere!
The 20th Anniversary of the NOAA Marine Debris Program
The program was established in 2006 to reduce and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris on our ocean and Great Lakes. Since then, it has led national and international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris.
Watch, explore, and discover our amazing ocean! NOAA Ocean Today videos cover all aspects of the ocean, including science, marine life, safety, deep ocean exploration, and much more.
Visit a National Marine Sanctuary this month!
From community festivals and ocean education programs to public presentations and hands-on activities, these events invite people to explore, learn about, and connect with America’s ocean and Great Lakes places.
2026 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest
Show the world what the ocean and Great Lakes mean to you! Submit your photos through Labor Day Weekend. Winning photos will be featured in the Earth Is Blue social media campaign.
A trip to the beach should be fun! With beach season upon us, explore the following resources to learn how you can best prepare, stay aware, and take action through changing beach, water, and weather conditions.
World Oceans Day and World Ocean (singular) Day–What’s the Difference?
World Ocean Day, a non-profit, is a network that includes 2,000+ organizations in 180 countries.unites and rallies the world to protect and restore our blue planet!
World Ocean Day efforts have been co-led with a 25-member Youth Advisory Council since 2016, and now also includes 149 alumni from 66 countries.
Since launching global coordination in 2002, World Ocean Day has grown from an idea to thousands of events and millions of people reached each year.
Following a four-year petition drive by the World Ocean Day international network, the United Nations officially recognized the Day in 2008, and named it World Oceans Day (plural), h\which.
The World Ocean Day 2026 Action Theme – Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet – will guide global action over the coming years. It brings together the momentum of recent multi-year action themes – Catalyzing Ocean-Climate Action and Protecting at Least 30% of Lands, Waters, and Ocean by 2030 (30×30) – and aligns powerfully with the recent ratification of the High Seas Treaty to protect biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement, is a landmark United Nations treaty designed to protect marine life in international waters. Having reached its 60-nation ratification threshold, the agreement officially entered into force on January 17, 2026.
World leaders have committed to 30×30 both within national waters and across the High Seas – an area covering two-thirds of the ocean and nearly one-half of Earth’s surface. World Ocean Day is urging these leaders to follow through with their commitments.
Ocean waters regulate the climate, support extraordinary biodiversity, sustain livelihoods, and hold untapped scientific and medical potential.
Creating strongly regulated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is essential to turning global commitments into real conservation outcomes. Implementation will require a powerful collective effort, accountability, and sustained public engagement – and if we work together, we can achieve this ambitious goal by 2030!
World Ocean Day helps unite the world each June! Join in and, together, we can accelerate progress and help create a global network of MPAs that restores ecosystems, builds resilience, and inspires hope for the future.
The Action Theme is universal. Whether coastal or landlocked, every nation depends on a healthy ocean for climate stability, biodiversity, and human well-being. Protection of the ocean – including the High Seas – is a shared responsibility for our blue planet.
Visit the World Ocean Day Take Action pages for ideas, resources, and ways to get involved.
About the 2026 UN World Oceans Day theme “REIMAGINE: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean”
Yet despite growing global ambition, the need to transform international commitments into measurable implementation and long-term resilience remains urgent.
Increasingly, ocean degradation reflects fragmented governance across interconnected systems spanning land, freshwater, coastal and marine environments. Activities upstream, including wastewater discharge, nutrient pollution, plastics, urban development and inadequate wastewater management, directly affect downstream ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves and coastal waters, with significant economic and financial implications.
These impacts are particularly pronounced in countries and communities highly dependent on coastal and marine ecosystems.
Addressing these challenges requires more than political commitment alone. It requires integrated governance approaches, stronger regional cooperation, science-based decision-making, and financing systems capable of connecting source-to-sea processes with measurable environmental, economic and social outcomes.
The entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement marks a historic moment in global ocean governance and reflects growing recognition that protecting the ocean requires collective responsibility, stronger cooperation and implementation across sectors and borders.
Celebrate Ocean Month in Your National Marine Sanctuaries
This June, join NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for public events across the National Marine Sanctuary System. Explore ways to Get Into Your Sanctuary throughout Ocean Month, and make a splash for World Ocean Day on June 8.
From community festivals and ocean education programs to public presentations and hands-on activities, these events invite people to explore, learn about, and connect with America’s ocean and Great Lakes places. Event details may change. Please check the event links or contact the host site for the most up-to-date information.
When Youth Lead, Our Ocean Wins: World Ocean Day 2026 Set to be Biggest Yet
On the 8th of June, people worldwide will unite for World Ocean Day to celebrate the ocean that connects and sustains us all.
With the ocean, climate, and biodiversity crises growing more urgent, young leaders are emerging as powerful voices for the blue planet. This year’s event is expected to be the largest ever, building on thousands of events across 178 countries in 2025.
“World Ocean Day is more than a once-a-year celebration, it’s an opportunity to build momentum and strengthen commitment to protecting these vital yet all too often out-of-sight, out-of-mind marine ecosystem.” – Dekota Mark, Australia, World Ocean Day Coordinator 2026
At the heart of the movement is the World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council – 24 young changemakers from 21 countries shaping the future for a healthy ocean and a stable climate.
“The ocean belongs to everyone, whether you live by the shore or deep inland… our ocean’s health depends on the actions we take now.” – Jeremiah Ugochukwu, 21, Democratic Republic of Congo
Launched in 2016, the Council now counts 173 members and alumni from 75 countries who organize community actions, advocate for policy change, and inspire year-round engagement.
“Youth ocean advocacy brings urgency, innovation, and accountability to environmental decision-making.” – Ilona Mayerau-Lonné, 23, New Caledonia
The movement is growing, with young people around the world turning awareness into action.
“When young voices rise for the ocean, hope stops being an idea and starts becoming a movement!” – Ava Havidic, 19, United States
About World Ocean Day
Officially recognized by the United Nations since 2008, The Ocean Project has been globally building momentum for the day since 2002. World Ocean Day mobilizes youth, NGOs, businesses, schools, and governments each 8th of June and year-round. The ocean regulates the climate, produces over half the oxygen we breathe, and sustains life on Earth. For free resources and events, visit WorldOceanDay.org | Follow @WorldOceanDay on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
One Ocean, One Climate, One Future – Together
