Master of the Ocean

Cabarete, Dominican Republic, is a charming little beach town with a mix of locals and transplants alike, whose lives revolve around the ocean. One waterman is considered an icon for his caring, innovative spirit: Marcus Bohm.

For over 30 years, Marcus helped Cabarete transform into the "Adventure Capital of the Caribbean". 

Marcus stepped off the plane from Germany in 1990 and immediately fell in love with Cabarete. He recognized the immense talent in the youth and has worked since to train and improve lives.

Marcus taught kids how to windsurf by creating the “Cabarete Kids Team,” entering them into the 1991 Cabarete Windsurf World Cup. Most of them would become champions.

In 2003, he founded the Master of The Ocean competition showcasing surf, windsurf, kite surf and SUP. The event has since inspired local talent.

Marcus trains local youth to become lifeguards, surf and swimming instructors, while cultivating ocean conservation.

1. I am committed to elevating the lives of underprivileged children of the north shore of the Dominican Republic through water sports, lifesaving certification, swimming training and ocean awareness. This will solve multiple problems: poverty, drownings and lack of education overall.

2. My project is two-fold:

a. Scaling the Master of the Ocean competition in surf, windsurf, kite surf and stand up paddle (SUP), to become the number one world championship for water men and water women.

b. Scaling the Happy Dolphins Project to create more job opportunities through instructor training programs in lifesaving, swimming, water sports and ocean conservation. A child who loves the ocean will care for it always.

3. The Master of the Ocean masteroftheocean.com gives young athletes an opportunity to showcase their talent on a world stage, while the Happy Dolphins Project reaches 2000+ youth and children through local foundations with multiple programs: happydolphinsdr.org

The most recognizable problem for the Dominican youth is poverty and lack of education, which results in a downward spiral of social and economic depression.

However, the deeper problem is an inherent disconnection with the ocean, so crucial to the livelihood of a blue island community. 

There are over 2000 children in the communities of Cabarete, Sosua and Puerto Plata; eight out of ten can't swim.  Often the father figure is missing, so mama tells the child that the ocean is dangerous, from fear of her child drowning. There are 20+ drownings yearly in our community.

Learning to swim empowers the child, giving him access to the wonderful playground that the ocean offers. We are a coastal community living off the ocean through water sports tourism, fishing, etc., yet many live with their backs to the ocean, often with no choice but to go into prostitution or jobs in the nightlife scene. 

Once a child learns to swim, he is empowered and his horizon of possibilities expands: he can make a respectful, passionate living as a water sports instructor or lifesaver,  become a leader and even an international champion. 

Plus, a connection with the ocean will promote ocean conservation.

The Master of the Ocean is a unique extreme championship for true water sports athletes, where they have to showcase their skills and battle over wind and waves in the disciplines of surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and SUP. Riders fly high and surf while showing versatility, style and power in the amazing setting of Cabarete. Hundreds of visitors, both local and international, join at the beach for the world’s best watermen and waterwomen in action. 

The event, founded in 2003, demands the mastery of the four disciplines, crowning the ultimate waterman/woman. Cabarete offers the perfect conditions that would attract world class competitors, giving local athletes an opportunity to display their talent on a world stage and learn about sportsmanship with top international athletes. To this day, the Master of the Ocean has attracted ample competitors, spectators, and media attention from around the globe. 2021 will mark the 17th edition of Master of The Ocean and is on the calendar for February 23rd – 28th.

The Happy Dolphins Project stems from this event. Its programs tackle the core roots of the problem: training instructors in swimming, surfing and lifesaving, while raising ocean conservation consciousness in the community.    

The Master of the Ocean involves dozens of local athletes, young men and women. They train all year round to compete alongside top athletes. This world class event has advanced this coastal community economically; Cabarete is recognized as a cradle of champions in windsurf, kitesurf, surf and Stand Up Paddle. The competition has resulted in athletes winning over 100,000+ USD in prizes. The event is an inspiration: in 2018 local hero Adeuri Corniel brought an Olympic gold medal in kitesurfing (Buenos Aires Youth Olympics), to the pride and joy of everyone.

Happy Dolphins initiatives target over 2000 underprivileged children of the north shore of the island; we offer our programs in conjunction with the five top foundations of the region: The Mariposa Foundation (creating leaders in girls), The DREAM Project, The Ocean Academy, The Dove Youth Center of Puerto Plata, and our closest partner, Inspire DR. Inspire DR works with over 70 boys of the community and has an aquatics program and olympic swimming pool which makes our project viable all year. Happy Dolphins brings lifesaving certification training programs with the Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society. Please see last action below. Our next program will take place in November 2020. https://www.facebook.com/media...

Our project:

- Enhances lives through improving the livelihoods of the most needy and those generally left behind, creating jobs, training leaders, and promoting sports therefore general well being of the youth.

- As it pertains a connection with ocean, it elevates not only those living in the community, but also the health of our planet.

- Changes minds about the ocean and the opportunities it creates through waters ports, swimming, lifesaving and the ecosystem.

When I arrived in Cabarete in 1990 from Freiburg, Germany, I was looking for the best conditions to practice water sports. I knew I had arrived home. The town was very different then, just a few wooden houses, one road and a phone booth in a container. These conditions did not foster much work. 

After realizing windsurf was the sport to pursue here, I decided to go briefly back to Germany and came back with a sewing machine. This was my first enterprise: sail repair. I promptly opened Cabarete Sail and Board Repair Shop with friends.

As I repaired sails, a bunch of local kids would hang out at the shop and I inadvertently became a mentor: I taught them how to windsurf. The kids were fully dedicated to the sport and quickly progressed to a high level. 

Then there were no local surf contests; lack of funds and rigid visa requirements made it difficult for the young enthusiastic windsurfers to compete internationally. So, I set up a series of competitions around the island which prizes were tickets to the World Surfing Games in California. 

After, it as only natural that I should found the Master of the Ocean.

During my entire life of 51 years, I have been passionate about the ocean and water sports. In surf, windsurf, kite and SUP I see a way to enhance the lives of the youth and change reality. 

I have seen so many lives of kids turned around, thriving as leaders through their work in water sports, and representing the Dominican Republic in prestigious competitions such as the Youth Olympics and water sports world championships. I know from experience that this is the ultimate pathway to a better life for many of these kids.

Cabarete has been my home for 30 years. The people are warm, good natured and have an authentic smile on their faces, even during the most challenging times, including the actual Covid-19 pandemic. It is only natural that I dedicate my life and know-how to the improvement of this community, which has given me a home and the gift of a lifetime of adventure and joy.

In Cabarete, I arrived a boy and became a man, learned three languages (Spanish, English, French), and made so many beautiful long lasting friendships. 

I plan to keep giving back with the same passion as when my journey started.

As a certified instructor, entrepreneur, event founder and ocean activist who has lived in the Cabarete community for 30 years, I have had the privilege to work closely with the locals. I have provided over 100 job opportunities through my different businesses, including a windsurf sail and board repair shop, kite surf school, surf school, and 16 editions of the Master of the Ocean event. I also have a solid background in the private sector as I was sports consultant in Red Bull 2003-2008 (Caribbean and Central America); plus Competition Director for the first Kiteboarding World Championship Tour by Eurosports (2000)

My work as advisor in Happy Dolphins (directed by my life partner Patricia Hiraldo) gives me the opportunity to continue a life's work, by me sharing my experience with the community through training in swimming, water sports, lifesaving and awareness on the ocean environment.

I have been described as an visionary and at times a dreamer; many of these dreams have become a reality.

As an ambassador of water sports and the ideal destination that is Cabarete, and thanks to the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, I have had the chance to personally carry my message of the wonder of water sports in the Dominican Republic to Germany, USA, Canada and other countries. Through the solid media coverage of the Master of the Ocean, we have reached millions throughout the world, benefiting the tourism industry and therefore our local community. 

Please see my professional bio here: https://drive.google.com/file/...

When I arrived to Cabarete at the age of 20, I could not speak a word of Spanish. Cabarete was a melting pot of expats and locals coming together for the sport of windsurfing.

So to manage, when spoken to, I would simply say "yahman", as a salute, or to appear as if I understood what was being said. Eventually, I learned the ways of the land and was accepted in the community. Now everyone knows me as Yahman.

Another challenge that I lived through and still exists is the lack of acceptance of water sports by brands, government institutions and most of the population. 

While economies of islands like Hawaii thrive through water sports with 2,000,000+ visitors looking to do water sports, our island still lacks vision in pushing for these healthy, clean activities. 

This has made it difficult when looking for sponsorships, try to attract more local tourism, or shine a light on water sports over traditional disciplines such as baseball and basketball; the latter attract many young men and women who look for economic success and fame, not so much as a way to live a healthy lifestyle in communion with the ocean.

When I started my repair shop, I was impressed by how talented the kids were, so I created the Cabarete Kids Team, leading 6 boys into a life of water sports. Alongside the water sports community, I taught them how to windsurf on mended equipment, demanding they stayed in school. Dental care was included in the benefits. 

These boys were entered into the 1991 Cabarete World Cup. Tony Garcia became the nation's most successful windsurfer, winning the Aloha Classic in 2000. 

Luciano Gonzalez, first generation kiteboarder, would become a legend. 

Below is the Youtube video on the Cabarete Kids Team story (please press english captions subtitles) and article link on the subject from a 1995 American Windurfer magazine.

As a continuation of this work every year for the past 17 years I organize the Master of the Ocean, where I get a chance to mentor many local upcoming talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

https://www.americanwindsurfer...

Through my surf school www.321takeoff.com, I offer job opportunities to local youth, so that they can make an honest, respectful living by teaching surfing, while they are required to study and stay off drugs and alcohol. Values are crucial for me when you are a surf instructor.

Master of the Ocean is a high level unique competition for combining the four disciplines of surf, windsurf, kitesurf and SUP.  

For the first time ever, a race involves local and international talent, uplifting the community of Cabarete.

Through the innovative event platform combining these four sports riding waves, we defined a new breed of athlete, much like the triathlon, or Ironman. Overall competitors battle during four days, in a grueling from dawn till dusk.

Through this event, Master of the Ocean: 

- supports sports and healthy lifestyles in local youth, and

- highlights local talent, boosting the existing blue economy.

This economic stimulation is achieved through support of organic tourism as opposed to the traditional all-inclusive mass tourism in other regions of the Caribbean. 

Also, we focus on ocean conservation and the elevation of lives through training in swimming and lifesaving and education. This platform of the project is performed via  www.happydolphinsdr.org. We aim to dissolve social classes and race barriers, as equality is the basis humanity. 

My theory of change is based on promoting water sports and training competitors on a personal level, creating tangible results and visible changes in young underprivileged men and women of Cabarete. Our actions create healthier, competitive, sustainable lifestyles. 

Outputs: Cabarete Kids Team initiative (1992) , Master of the Ocean competition (2003) and Happy Dolphins Project (2016):

Immediate outcome in community:
- overall improvement of physical wellness
- higher self-confidence
- instillment of leadership
- safer beaches with more swimmers and lifesavers

The long term outcome: an inspiration to thousands of kids following the example of young leaders or working alongside them.  The blue community will strengthen around water sports tourism with a growing economy. 

Evidence can be found in the following success stories:

- Sammuel Perez Hults - local athlete who was born inland and was inspired by the Cabarete Kids Team. Now Sammy has a thriving water sports business in Oahu, Hawaii and is an Olympic Hopeful for 2021 (windsurf) for the Dominican Republic. Master of the Ocean champion multiple times.https://sammyshawaii.com/

- Luis Alberto Gil a.k.a. Chulo - surfing instructor and tourism guide who organizes adventures tours. Chulo is from Cabarete and learned to surf at our 321Takeoff school. We trained him to become an entrepreneur, family man and a leader of many. https://www.facebook.com/DR-Tr...

- Luciano Gonzalez started working with me in 1997. First generation kitesurfer in the island. He has been 4x winner of the Master of the Ocean title. He is now a beloved member of the community, founded LG Surf Camp and runs a non-profit www.oceanacademy.com, focusing on training local underprivileged children in surfing.

- Carolina Guzman. She was the younger sister of one the original Cabarete Kids, Michael Guzman (first Master of the Ocean titleholder), who inspired her to a life in  water sports. Carolina emerged from a poor background as an orphan; today she owns a successful surf school in Las Terrenas and leads an active life as a mother of two. Carolina won the Athlete of the Year Award in 2012. http://carolinasurfschooldr.co...

- Evaluation references:
1. Competition Impact Report

https://drive.google.com/drive...

2. Chris Dalhuisen Intern Research Thesis

https://docs.google.com/docume...

Current number of people we are serving this year and in 2021 combined (due to Covid-19 restraints):

Master of the Ocean (current)- 20,000+ combining athletes, spectators, performers and crew. Plus, the event promotes Cabarete and its community as the capital of water sports. We carry the message to the world about Cabarete as a prime playground and training ground for top athletes and water sports lovers .

Happy Dolphins (current) - 2000+ children and families by performing certification programs in swimming and lifesaving, in collaboration with 5 local foundations: DREAM Project, Mariposa DR Foundation, Inspire DR, Ocean Academy, The Dove Youth Development of Puerto Plata. Additionally, we carried out a food drive for 21 families during 6 weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic (April 10th - May 15th).

Master of the Ocean in 5 years: 500,000+ through Ministry of Tourism plus direct influence on local and international athletes and social media.

Happy Dolphins in 5 years: 30,000+ We would directly change the lives of 2000+ children and young men and women of the region  through active training programs (150 lifeguards,  150 swimming trainers). This number multiplies when one includes their families, which will benefit by new skills and job opportunities. 

We cannot exactly predict the numbers who will be impacted directly. However, we are positive that tourism overall will benefit and grow by creating safer beaches and happier children who know how to swim and are passionate about the ocean. This will set us aport from other destinations.

As the Covid-19 has gravely affected our community for the last four months and hardly any tourism is expected for the remainder of 2020, we present the goals for 2021 and next 5 years:

Master of the Ocean seeks to scale to the number one water sports competition on earth, reaching a larger audience, and inspiring a new generation of Caribbean athletes. Constantly feeding action and lifestyle content to the four water sports communities around the world, Master of the Ocean fosters cultural exchanges and sportsmanship experiences among riders and communities of different nationalities.

Also, the event seeks to assist each of the five aforementioned foundations that work with Happy Dolphins Project, to form and train a team for Master of the Ocean. Each team consists of 4 riders (one for each discipline of surf, windsurf, kite, SUP). The team format allows us to reach other communities of the Caribbean.

Within five years, the Master of the Ocean event could be replicated in other islands, where there exists great talent.

Happy Dolphins Project

Goals: To develop programs in surfing, lifesaving certification, swimming certification.

During the next 5 years, the Happy Dolphins Bus Program will help us to go island wide. We will visit schools located in the 1288 kilometers of coastline. 

This is an interactive educational, fun mobile classroom designed to focus on community and media attention on drowning prevention.

The Happy Dolphins Bus will empower blue economies around the island by implanting and assisting surf, swim and lifesaving activities. 

There are several challenges which we face for achieving short and long term goals:

- Covid-19 has decimated the travel industry, which is essential to the livelihood of the economy and growth of our island nation. Our boys and girls suffer from poverty when there are no tourists; it is as simple and tragic as that.

- We are working hard to finally get a home for The Happy Dolphins, La Casita de Happy Dolphins, as presently, we are being evicted from Encuentro Beach. This is due to Covid-19 causing our surf school 321Takeoff to close for the past months. 

Instead of paying rent (and also thanks to a private donation), we decided to carry out a food drive which provided 25 families (including our young instructors') with basic supplies for 6 weeks during the pandemic. However, landlords have proven insensitive to the tenants' plights, and we are among several schools being forced out.

- Lack of funds to cover basic expenses, including the permanent team salaries (there are four of us). Right now, we all basically work pro bono for Happy Dolphins. I have been blessed with a very professional, competent family, allowing us to over perform, as we firmly believe in the potential of our inititatives.

- Covid-19 Pandemic - we will increase our efforts to educate the youth under strict protocols so that we may overcome these challenging times and come out stronger. Also we will keep promoting sports in the ocean, where contagion is relatively rare. 

- Eviction Based on Covid-19 Crisis|New Happy Dolphins Home - La Casita de Happy Dolphins will be a permanent open water training centre for lifesaving, swimming and water sports right on the beach. This is a project in the making, so we need resources to buy or rent a small plot of land (100 square meters) and build a natural Caribbean hut. 

La Casita de Happy Dolphins would contain surf boards and other sports gear, lifesaving equipment (CPR, lifejackets, stretchers) and literature. All 5 local sister foundations and their youth (names listed before) will be able to benefit from these facilities all year round, including surf gear and lessons.

- Lack of funds to cover basic expenses - through donations, grants and sponsorships, we plan to cover not only the crew's salaries, but also atransportation, program costs, equipment, etc. 

- Dominican Republic's Ministry of Tourism: we collaborate to promote Cabarete and the north shore as the ideal water sports destination, to position it at the level of Hawaii and Canary Islands. This includes providing:  with water sports know-how, presence at trade shows and activities; marketing and advertising at the Master of the Ocean competition, and water sports action content all year round. Basically we serve as water sports ambassadors of this beautiful island nation.

- Local hospitality brands, such as Millennium Resort and Spa, Ultravioleta Hotel, Hotel Natura Cabana, Cabarete Palm Beach Condos, Viva Wyndham Tangerine, Ojo|Lax Cabarete and Europcar Dominican Republic. Like most of our local partners, these top brands sponsor the Master of the Ocean competition with in-kind services, such as hotel rooms, transportation, food and beverages.

- 5 Local foundations: Mariposa Foundation DR, DREAM Project, Inspire DR, Ocean Academy and Dove Youth Development. Through them, we reach over2000 children of the north shore, securing a proper and safe channel as we provide training in water sports, swimming and lifesaving. In the case of Inspire DR, we are partners in their aquatics program: we utilize their pool for our lifesaving training, and their crew benefits by acquiring the prestigious international certification programs we offer.

The goal of the Master of the Ocean business model and its multiple projects is to harmonize communities of the north shore of the Dominican Republic with the ocean. By educating youth in ocean literacy and encouraging foreign interest in the region through water sports tourism, we aim to build towards sustainable lives. Two main projects have been established for this purpose, The Master of the Ocean event, and The Happy Dolphins Project.

Firstly, the Master of the Ocean competition promotes organic tourism on the north shore, centered in Cabarete. The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism and local businesses fund the event, with sponsorship contributions. These are used to organize an event that attracts influential athletes from all around the world. These athletes generate interest from media, and their
coverage puts the focus on the destination. Revenue is generated through sponsorship and light merchandising.

Secondly, this attention and flow of water sport tourism is used by the Happy Dolphins Project, a non-profit entity. The influential athletes that are brought in by the event are an inspiration to the children connected to the initiative. The attention for the region and nature of the socially beneficial actions have helped to attract donations to fund the programs. The network created by the Master of the Ocean has helped the Happy Dolphins kickstart with a certification course for lifeguards and swimming instructors in the fall of 2019 by the prestigious Canadian Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society.

For the past 30 years, my work has been a combination of out-of-pocket or funding by third parties, many times friends. The collaboration with the government for financial support and the local businesses for in-kind support has been sustained for the past 16 years towards the Master of the Ocean event. However, there has been little revenue, and our team of four has managed to practically achieve a break even situation every year.

Ever since the establishment of the Happy Dolphins Project, a couple of donations have kept the project barely afloat. 

This limited flow of cash has been unstable, and still my team, a dedicated family crew composed of my wife Patricia and two daughters Mara and Lia, has maintained great motivation and commitment.  Further services are occasionally provided by inspired volunteers and interns. 

To achieve a proper funding path, we seek to:

- create a Master of the Ocean merchandising line which includes hats, t-shirts, rash guards, selling at the Casita de Happy Dolphins and online, with part of the proceeds going to the training programs.

- secure a healthy constant flow by a roster of private green brands which are relevant to the competition in the following industries: insurance, personal hygiene, banking, telecommunications technology, automotive, car rental and airline.

- Increase the Ministry of Tourism sponsorship monies, as this is the industry that most benefits from the Master of the Ocean event, with high quality content all year round and a credible, organic follow-up experience.

The Master of the Ocean (for profit) generates one time a year, on the occasion of the event,;last time was February 2020. These revenues come as sponsorships. The largest part of the sponsorship money (about 80%) arrives usually 3-6 months after the event, creating an extremely tense situation with suppliers, who do not appreciate the late payments. Moreover, prize monies have to be paid upon completion of the races, to the winners; no delays are possible.

Last February 2020, the following brands|institutions sponsored Master of the Ocean:

- Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism

- Millennium Resort & Spa, Cabarete

- Marriott Group, Cabarete

- Ultravioleta Hotel, Cabarete

- Natura Cabana Hotel, Cabarete

- Viva Wyndham Tangerine, Cabarete

- Cabarete Palm Beach Condos, Cabarete

- Villa Taina Hotel, Cabarete

- Ceecoach Wireless Communication for Sports, USA

For The Happy Dolphins Project (non-profit), there was only one private donation which will assist in this year's projects; the rest was out-of-pocket.

Describe how much funding you seek? 400,000 USD.

The type of funding (e.g. grant, debt, or equity)? Preferably grant, but open to a combination with equity.

By when you hope to raise the money? By December 2020, so as to fully launch the programs from 2021 on.

Please provide any monetary amounts in US dollars?. We would allot 200,000 USD to Master of the Ocean and 200,000 USD to Happy Dolphins Project programs.

Please see budget document links attached.

For Master of the Ocean:

Master of the Ocean 2021 budget

The other for Happy Dolphins Project:

Happy Dolphins Programs|Budget

The Elevate Prize has inspired me to dream again, in spite of these challenging times. When we are almost losing our surf school at Encuentro Beach, and after dedicating our last resources towards feeding our closest underprivileged young talent and their families, we feel motivated to move forward and regain hope.

At the same, we are able to pour our energy into what is essential to our community in times of financial hardships: education and connection to the ocean. 

The ocean is for all, vast and pure, as Happy Dolphins' motto goes: let the ocean set you free.

The Elevate Prize will allow our existing programs to continue and thrive (lifesaving certification, surf camps, swimming lessons); plus, for new projects to flourish, such as our waterfront training facility and the Happy Dolphins educational bus. 

As for the Master of the Ocean, the four disciplines of surf, windsurf, kitesurf and SUP will be practiced recreationally in an impoverished setting. We will encourage competitive training, identifying and selecting talent to further develop their abilities. Eventually, they could turn into pro athletes, instructors or leaders, as proven in the past.  

We would welcome the coaching and mentorship from the Elevate team, as we always are eager to grow. A tailored marketing and media campaign is especially valuable to increase the reach of the Master of the Ocean around the world.  

Finally, the funds will guarantee the sustainability of our brilliant crew so that their passion and expertise are supported and they stay motivated.

We are interested in partners connected to actions to save the ocean, be it brands and non-profit. We wish to play an active part of a united global movement. Without ocean literacy by the young generation this is not possible.

In particular, we would love to work with brands that:

- possess high ecological awareness and look for innovative solutions to solve our present mounting problems, in particular our dying oceans;

- work towards zero carbon footprint solutions; example, nurturing mangrove tree forests, which are proliferous in the DR. Mangroves have a significant capacity for eliminating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, trapping them in flooded soils for thousands of years to come. 

- Brands coming to mind would be: Tesla, Virgin, Adidas-Salomon AG, Mercedes Benz, Emirates Airlines, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

We would like to integrate them to the Master of the Ocean event as sponsors and partners, with a possibility of collaborating on a global scale, while at the same time bringing prosperity to local communities. Eventually, this prosperity can be expanded to other coastal communities of the Caribbean.

In terms of The Happy Dolphins Project, we would like to partner up with other lifesaving societies worldwide, such as Royal Lifesaving Society Australia, The German Life Saving Association (DLRG) and Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, to collaborate in programs similar to ours current one with the Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society, Canada. 

As for ocean conservation activist non-profits, we would love to partner up with The Ocean Elders and Ultramarine Ocean Summit.