Our Purpose
Collaboration, Learning, Empowerment
The purpose of Oceans Week Victoria is to foster connection and engagement within the community by providing a platform to support ocean-inspired events on southern Vancouver Island. We help facilitate and promote inclusive and accessible community events, no matter how large or how small, with a focus on education, conservation, and fun!
Our aim is to involve industry, scientists, educators, youth, Indigenous groups, businesses, residents and many others.
In recent years, Victorians have enjoyed 3 main WOD events hosted by the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (Sidney), World Fisheries Trust (on the Gorge Waterway) and Eagle Wing Tours with the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (Fishermans Wharf).
These will continue as bookend events to our Oceans Week, with a growing variety of other activities added in the years ahead to educate, inspire and empower people to become better ocean stewards.
Watch for Oceans Week Victoria updates on this website and social media, so that you can stay informed leading up to and during the events in June.
History
1992
2019
1992 A team from Canada proposed the idea of an Oceans Day at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, followed by the first Oceans Day event in Halifax
2008 In response to growing participation and petitions around the globe, the UN General Assembly designated June 8 as World Oceans Day
2019 Over 2000 events held in 140 countries! In Victoria, inspired by the Halifax model, the planning was started for a full week of activities and Oceans Week Victoria 2020 was born.
2002 The Ocean Project began globally promoting World Oceans Day and launched the worldoceansday.org website to support event organizers; 25 events held in 15 countries
2011 World Oceans Day events started in Greater Victoria (possibly earlier!)
Our Partners
Oceans Week Victoria is a collaboration among a variety of organizations in Greater Victoria. The planning committee is comprised of volunteers from the following partners: Parks Canada Canadian Orca Rescue Society
