The CORE Project strengthens safe, equitable, and responsible use of coastal recreation areas by addressing rising pressure on shorelines, expanding user groups, and persistent gaps in public safety knowledge. Our mission—rooted in stewardship, education, and responsible visitation—supports communities in navigating dynamic ocean environments while helping ensure coastlines remain accessible and resilient for all.

To address crowding, conflict, poor communication, and limited outreach across popular beaches, CORE teaches standardized etiquette and shared-use practices that promote respectful interaction among swimmers, surfers, paddlers, and shoreline visitors. Our education efforts help reduce tensions born from territorialism and misinformation, while making coastal recreation safer and more welcoming for newcomers and underserved communities.

CORE develops public safety campaigns that strengthen ocean literacy across diverse user groups. These initiatives include regionally tailored signage, digital outreach tools, codes of ethics, and community workshops that clarify ocean hazards, responsible visitation, marine-life interaction guidelines, protected-area rules, and the changing conditions that affect shoreline safety. Our campaigns provide consistent guidance where coastal managers often lack capacity or unified messaging.

CORE engages directly with local communities—including youth groups, new ocean users, and historically marginalized or underrepresented populations—to reduce the cultural, financial, and informational barriers that limit participation in ocean recreation. Through mentorship, free safety education, scholarships, and inclusive learning environments, CORE helps communities build a sense of belonging, stewardship, and shared responsibility for coastal spaces.

CORE provides community-first-responder and ocean-safety training that prepares recreation users for emergencies in high-use coastal zones. These trainings support lifeguard agencies and local authorities facing increased rescues, growing incident rates, and limited capacity, and help community members build the confidence and skills necessary to respond effectively in dynamic shoreline conditions. 

SEA SMART Learning Network Learning Network provides free, accessible online ocean-safety education, ethical recreation guidance, conservation messaging, and user-friendly hazard awareness tools. This platform fills a global knowledge gap where no standardized public education exists, offering clear pathways for communities to learn how to visit coastal spaces safely, responsibly, and sustainably.

CORE supports coastal managers by identifying on-the-ground hazards and recreation pressures that shape user safety and environmental impact. This includes rip-hazard awareness, crowd-density dynamics, shoreline erosion risks, wildlife disturbance, and the broader ecological pressures associated with rapidly increasing coastal visitation. Through this work, CORE fills long-standing information gaps—especially within surf and nearshore zones where incident tracking and marine-safety data are historically absent.

CORE works alongside lifeguards, coastal engineers, city planners, surf schools, recreation organizers, and environmental NGOs to support safer and more informed coastal-zone management. By helping improve communication frameworks, strengthen permitting and compliance needs, and integrate recreation considerations into shoreline planning, we assist agencies navigating overcrowding, shrinking resources, unmanaged tourism impacts, and increased strain on coastal infrastructure.

CORE contributes community-based insights and recreation-focused recommendations to shoreline-management, sand-retention, and coastal-resilience discussions. Our advocacy supports decision-makers navigating erosion threats, carrying-capacity issues, public-access concerns, and uneven communication strategies. By bridging policymakers, scientists, coastal managers, and on-the-ground recreation communities, CORE helps ensure coastal planning is transparent, informed, and grounded in real community needs.