About Explore MPA
Purposeful coastal adventures. Adventure. Conservation. Community. Hope.
Who we are
Explore MPA is a purpose driven coastal adventure initiative run by the Aliwal Shoal Mission Blue Hope Spot Champions, based along the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area — one of the world's great Mission Blue Hope Spots.
We create guided walking experiences that bring you closer to the coastline, its stories, its beauty, and its urgent need for protection. Our adventures are not just about where we walk. They are about why we walk, and who we walk with.
Rooted in conservation, guided by passionate ocean champions, and powered by community, Explore MPA offers a new kind of travel: adventure that leaves places better, not worse.
Our mission
To connect people to the coastline through purposeful adventures guided by champions and rooted in conservation, inspiring awareness, supporting science, uplifting communities, and nurturing the next generation of ocean guardians.
Our vision
A world where Hope Spots become living classrooms, where coastal communities thrive alongside healthy oceans, and where every person who walks with us becomes an advocate for the places they've come to love.
Our values
Adventure
We believe in the power of movement, exploration, curiosity, and the magic of slow travel.
Conservation
Everything we do supports the health of the Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot — from citizen science to regenerative tourism.
Community
We honour the people who call this coastline home. We uplift youth and work alongside conservation allies.
Hope
Inspired by Dr Sylvia Earle: No blue, no green. We walk in hope, for the ocean and for future generations.
Why Explore MPA exists
A coastline of wonder and pressure.
Aliwal Shoal is a place of wonder: coral reefs, rays, sharks, tidal pools, dunes, estuaries, rocky shores, migrating whales — a coastline rich in life and meaning. But it is also under pressure. Plastic pollution. Habitat loss. Climate change. Fading connection to nature.
Explore MPA was created to shift that narrative. By walking together, learning together, and contributing data together, we turn adventure into awareness, and awareness into action.
Guided by champions
Meet the Blue Guardians.
Our experiences are led by local guides who know this coastline intimately and care for it deeply. They are charismatic, knowledgeable, warm, and grounded in community and culture. They are the stewards of the Hope Spot.
"This coastline raised us. Every tide teaches something new."
"The ocean is changing, and we see it first. Every survey tells a story."
Our approach — the Explore MPA model
01
Adventure
Coastal walking, snorkelling, river kayaking, dune exploration, rock pool ecology, and lighthouse visits crafted into meaningful journeys.
02
Conservation
Citizen science, MPA Day participation, shoreline sampling, and collaboration with ORI and SAAMBR.
03
Community
Regenerative experiences: food garden support, NGO partnerships, local storytelling, and cultural connection.
04
Youth leadership
Local guides receive training, mentorship, and opportunities to grow into powerful conservation ambassadors.
The founder's ethos
A movement where walking becomes protecting.
Explore MPA was born from a personal annual tradition — walking the entire 33km terrestrial boundary of the Aliwal Shoal MPA on MPA Day. That first walk revealed a coastline of incredible diversity, breathtaking beauty, and heartbreaking vulnerability. It became clear that more people needed to experience this coastline meaningfully — not just as visitors, but as caretakers.
Walk with us.
Walk with purpose. Walk with community. Walk the Hope Spot.