ABOUT
Our oceans and ecosystems face tremendous crises in today's world, including coastal development, catastrophic loss of biodiversity, overfishing and coral bleaching. While this saddens all who care for the ocean, the people and communities of island nations depend on these resources for life and livelihood. Ocean lovers often visit "bluewater" places to enjoy and use resources without ever paying much attention to the people who inhabit them. We hope to change that reality, and bring hope to the people who depend on our oceans, while created sustainable solutions to today's crises.
Bluewater Missions was formed with the belief that marine science, education and the resulting action-based initiatives can make a very real difference in the future of our oceans, as well as the lives of people and communities among developing island nations. This effort flows from a love, enjoyment and understanding of the oceans and a passion to care for people. We hope to lead the way in a movement that transforms life in and surrounding our planet's amazing bluewater.
John Richert
Visionary,
Marine Biologist, Missionary
John is a professor and a pastor, a marine biologist and a missionary. He received his Ph.D. as a marine ecologist at UC Davis, where he began his work in the southern Gulf of California. After pastoring a local church for eleven years and starting a missions program to Haiti, he nows serves as the Lead Faculty of the Biology program at William Jessup University. His experiences underwater, around the world and among people birthed the vision for Bluewater Missions. Today he continues to build a network of scientists, educators and missionaries to study marine ecosystems and meet the needs of people.