O'Neill Sea Odyssey

What O'Neill Sea Odyssey does

O'Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1996 by wetsuit innovator and surfer Jack O'Neill. The organization delivers a three-hour, hands-on ocean education experience to 4th through 6th-grade students and special education classes, free of charge, aboard the Team O'Neill Catamaran on Monterey Bay and in the Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center at the Santa Cruz Harbor. Each participating class completes a Student Action Project contributing to the flourishing of their home watershed, extending learning beyond the boat trip into local environmental stewardship. As of its 30th anniversary in 2026, OSO reports having served nearly 135,000 students cumulatively across five California counties (San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey), with priority given to underserved students who lack ocean access, supported by transportation scholarships.

The organization operates a single-vessel, single-site program model. Its underlying technology consists of the Team O'Neill Catamaran (a licensed ocean-going classroom vessel), the Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center classroom, a curriculum aligned with educational standards (refreshed in 2025 with Spanish-language components), and a real-time Weather Station Data feed for student and educator use. Supporting infrastructure includes a Mailchimp email marketing integration and a WordPress-based website. OSO partners with NOAA for teacher professional development and with the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team, which supported the development of the organization's 2026-2030 Strategic Framework.

OSO generates no fee revenue; all operating funds come from donations and charitable contributions from individuals, organizations, and community supporters, augmented by the Jack O'Neill Legacy Society planned giving program. Go-to-market is community-led: schools and teachers from the five-county service area submit trip requests, and the program prioritizes socioeconomically disadvantaged schools. Marketing and donor engagement rely on the organization website, email newsletter, community events, and word-of-mouth through teacher networks rather than paid advertising. The organization is led by Executive Director Tracey Weiss, with Rob Bremner serving as Board President.

Name

O'Neill Sea Odyssey

Legal name

O'Neill Sea Odyssey

Website

https://oneillseaodyssey.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

O'Neill Sea Odyssey is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1996 that provides free, hands-on ocean science and environmental education to 4th-6th grade and special education students from five California counties aboard the Team O'Neill Catamaran and at the Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center in Santa Cruz.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sailing, Catamaran & Day-Cruise Excursions (nature-focused) (THAAAIAG), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine science education
• Ocean literacy programs
• Hands-on STEM education
• Environmental education nonprofit
• Youth watershed stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, O'Neill Sea Odyssey relies entirely on donations from individuals, organizations, and community supporters to fund its free marine science education programs. Tax ID: 77-0464784.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

O'Neill Sea Odyssey delivers a free 3-hour hands-on ocean science education program for 4th-6th grade and special education students, combining shipboard learning aboard the Team O'Neill Catamaran on Monterey Bay with classroom instruction at the Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center. Each participating class completes a Student Action Project contributing to their local watershed, with transportation scholarships provided to socioeconomically disadvantaged schools to remove access barriers.

Product overview

O'Neill Sea Odyssey provides a unified free educational program consisting of hands-on ocean science experiences aboard the Team O'Neill Catamaran combined with classroom instruction at the Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center. The core offering is a 3-hour immersive program for 4th-6th grade students featuring scientific experiments, marine biology education, and environmental stewardship activities on Monterey Bay. Students complete Student Action Projects to contribute to their local watersheds. Additional support services include Transportation Scholarships to remove access barriers and a Special Education Program for inclusive learning. The program is currently undergoing curriculum modernization, with a new curriculum launched in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Team O'Neill Catamaran: The primary vessel used for hands-on ocean education trips for students.
• Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center
• Jack O'Neill Legacy Society

Products and services

• Team O'Neill Catamaran Educational Program A three-hour hands-on ocean education experience aboard the Team O'Neill Catamaran where 4th-6th grade students learn marine science, conduct scientific experiments, and participate in experiential learning activities on Monterey Bay. Delivered free of charge to participating schools.
• Jack O'Neill and Harry Hind Education Center The classroom facility at the Santa Cruz Harbor where students receive pre-trip preparation and post-trip learning activities to complement the boat-based education program.
• Student Action Projects Student-led community service projects where each class contributes to the flourishing of their home watershed, extending learning beyond the boat trip into local environmental action.
• Transportation Scholarships Financial assistance to help socioeconomically disadvantaged schools cover transportation costs, removing logistical barriers to program access.
• Special Education Program Tailored educational experiences designed specifically for special education students, ensuring accessibility and inclusive learning opportunities aboard the catamaran and at the Education Center.
• Weather Station Data Real-time weather and environmental data accessible to students and educators to support scientific learning and data analysis.
• New Curriculum (2025) A redesigned curriculum released in 2025 with hands-on lessons that put students at the helm of scientific discovery and empower them to take informed action, available for teachers, students, and lifelong learners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed lives of nearly 135,000 students over 30 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stanford Alumni Consulting Team (ACT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Stanford Alumni Consulting Team provided support to help O'Neill Sea Odyssey assess its operating environment and develop the 2026-2030 Strategic Framework. The process began in early 2025 and was described as rigorous and inclusive, engaging organizational stakeholders and the larger community.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NOAA partnered with OSO to offer a free teacher workshop (July 22-24) as part of the Dive into Summer Learning program, providing professional development for educators on ocean and environmental topics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ocean Institute: Dana Point-based nonprofit delivering vessel-based marine science and ocean education programs for K-12 students aboard ocean-going vessels - the closest geographic and programmatic analog to OSO.
• Marine Science Institute: Redwood City-based nonprofit operating the R/V Robert G. Brownell and onshore labs to deliver hands-on marine science education to Bay Area schoolchildren - closely comparable vessel + classroom delivery model.
• Sea Education Association (SEA): Woods Hole-based nonprofit running shipboard oceanography and marine science education programs aboard sailing research vessels - directly comparable shipboard learning model, though skewed to older students.
• Inland Seas Education Association: Michigan-based nonprofit operating the schooner Inland Seas for hands-on Great Lakes science education for school groups - the Great Lakes analog of OSO's catamaran-based Monterey Bay program.
• Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) / Guided Discoveries: CIMI runs shipboard marine science education programs for school groups aboard sailing vessels in Southern California - directly comparable vessel-based, youth-focused, hands-on ocean science model.

Broad incumbents

• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Large aquarium and ocean conservation nonprofit with extensive K-12 education programming in the Monterey Bay region - same geography and audience, but a much broader portfolio than OSO's vessel-based program.
• The Marine Mammal Center: California-based marine conservation nonprofit with K-12 ocean education programs - overlapping audience and donor base but broader animal-rescue mission rather than vessel-based field trips.

Regional players

• Save Our Shores: Santa Cruz-based marine conservation nonprofit focused on coastal stewardship and cleanup - comparable Santa Cruz geography and donor pool, complementary rather than head-to-head educational focus.
• Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History: Local Santa Cruz natural history museum offering K-12 educational programming - same geography and school audience but land-based exhibits rather than ocean-going vessel delivery.
• Point Reyes National Seashore Association: California coastal education nonprofit delivering youth environmental education programs including marine and watershed stewardship - comparable educational mission in a different coastal region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/oneillseaodyssey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oneill-sea-odyssey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about O'Neill Sea Odyssey