We at Pura Vida Divers are excited to announce our involvement with the Shark Friendly Marinas Initiative!

The Shark Friendly Marinas Initiative has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality. We encourage shark conservation at sport fishing and resort marinas by prohibiting the landing of any shark at the participating marina. The SFMI works with marinas, fishermen and like minded non-profit groups to form community conscious policy and increase awareness of the need to protect our sharks, our ocean and our legacy.

Pura Vida Divers supports the Shark Friendly Marinas Initiative in the South Florida region. The Palm Beach area is home to many shark species and the healthy local reef systems that support these sharks. We feel the one-time harvesting of sharks for photo images or souvenir jaws is not in the best interests of the Palm Beach people or South Florida tourism.

Worldwide, sharks are being killed for fins, jaws and meat at a completely unsustainable rate. An estimated 60-100 million sharks per year are taken in this manner. By asking vessels not to arrive at our facilities with sharks, we hope to encourage responsible sport fishing, thereby ensuring a lasting and healthy population of sharks in our ocean for future generations and contributing to the overall health of the North Atlantic Ocean.

We are excited to begin working with such a great organization and continue the conservation of sharks to be enjoyed by future divers of all ages.

To learn more about the Shark Friendly Marina Initiative go to www.sharkfriendlymarinas.org.