The Hydrous

Who says ocean advocates have to live by the ocean?

In Des Moines — nearly 1,000 miles from the nearest coast — more than 3,500 students and community members showed up to listen to Dr. Erika Woolsey, Explorer and Founder and Chief Scientist of The Hydrous, talk about coral reefs, climate, exploration, and the future of our blue planet.

She asked who had visited the Great Barrier Reef, a surprising number of hands went up.

The passion is here. The curiosity if here. The ocean champions are already here.

The question isn’t whether landlocked communities care about the ocean. It’s how we create more portals to the ocean through education, storytelling, immersive experiences, and opportunities to connect.

Because protecting the ocean starts everywhere.

Photos by Melissa Pappas and Jones Pfeifer at Des Moines Performing Art

Ready to get your feet wet again? 🤿

Dr. Woolsey is back on tour with , sharing the wonders of the

📍1st stop: Des Moines, IA on April 22nd. Tickets are on sale NOW! Head to the link in our bio to grab yours 🪸

Support The Hydrous this !

We need your help! The nonprofit funding landscape in the U.S. has shifted dramatically: government programs that once supported our work have been discontinued, and private grants have become more competitive than ever.

Thankfully, a generous donor has pledged to match gifts to the Hydrous before Christmas — up to $25,000! Your support will enable us to sustain our programming and research, expand our reach, and deepen our impact as we navigate this new funding environment. Donate here: https://thehydro.us/donate

With Gratitude,

The Hydrous Team

DONATE — THE HYDROUS

🌊New paper alert!🌊

Congratulations to our Chief Scientist, Dr. Erika Woolsey, and her colleagues and Hydrous Research Advisors Dr. Géraldine Fauville and Dr. Daniel Pimentel on the publication of their new paper, Ocean XR: A Deep Dive Into Extended Reality for Marine Education and Ocean Literacy.

This study analyzed around 100 ocean XR experiences to evaluate their alignment with the Essential Ocean Literacy Principles. Insights from this research identified Ocean XR’s unique strengths and the potential for improving marine environmental education through immersive media.

The paper is open-access and linked in our bio 💙

This work, as part of our IREEF initiative, was supported by a grant from Charitable Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation.

Thank you to all of our collaborators, research assistants, and advisors. 🪸

To all the mermaids out there 🧜🏻‍♀️

Happy to all the incredible women in The Hydrous Community! Here’s to doing what we do best… protecting the ocean and inspiring the next generation 💙🌊

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We are all connected to the ocean 💙🌊

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💙🎉 We’re VERY excited to share that is available on ! We are so proud to have contributed our scientific consultation as well as 3D coral models, coral spawning footage, and underwater 3D footage to help these VR ocean environments come to life🪸

We’re taking the ocean on tour! Join Dr. Erika Woolsey and as she shares the wonders of the in cities throughout the U.S. 🌊🪸

Look for a show near you! Link in bio ✨