Someone once said: distance creates beauty. The ocean looks stunning from afar, but immersing yourself in it offers a whole different kind of wonder.
The Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMESA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs has been running its "Social Innovation Products and Services Procurement Incentive Mechanism" since 2017, bringing together nearly a thousand social innovation organizations (referred to below as "social innovators") that build their business models around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To encourage the public to embrace SDG 12 — Responsible Consumption and Production — SMESA launched the "Responsible Commerce" curated brand, selecting 80 standout products and services each year and promoting them to consumers through the "Social Innovation Selection Guide." Among these selections are social innovators driving sustainable action under SDG 14 — Life Below Water. This article series will explore how, from everyday purchasing to local experiences, we can support marine conservation through the products and services these social innovators offer.
Beyond a breezy stroll along the shoreline, is there a way to go further — to be truly enveloped by the sea? Absolutely. Step off the shore and into the water: here are four social innovators that will close the distance between you and the ocean.
There's a Good Reason to "Fool Around with Fish"! Understanding the Ocean Through Food: FishBar
In Taiwan, where seafood is a staple of daily life, do you actually know the name of that steamed red fish on your dinner table? Was it caught along Taiwan's coast, or is it an imported product? Head to FishBar at Qixingtan in Hualien, where they'll take you on a perfectly legitimate "fish encounter" and show you exactly how the seafood on your plate makes its journey from the sea to the table.
FishBar is a social innovation team with "fish food education" at its core, combining seafood retail with educational programs and hands-on experiences. One of their signature experiences, "Brave the Ocean Labyrinth," takes you out to sea to discover the relatively eco-friendly fishing method known as set-net fishing. While out on the water, you'll not only observe the fishing gear but also have a chance to spot the cetaceans that frequent Taiwan's eastern coast. Back on shore, role-playing activities and scale models explain the principles behind the catch, followed by a meet-and-greet with actual fish — touch them, examine them up close, and uncover the little secrets behind eating fish. The adventure wraps up with your own hands-on cooking session, completing the journey from sea to table.
The "Ocean Labyrinth" is actually a set-net — after seeing the real thing at sea, participants return to shore and learn about the fishing principles through scale models. Image credit: FishBar
Beyond these signature experiences, FishBar also holds occasional talks covering topics such as sustainable fishing methods, fishing village culture, cetacean conservation, and catch handling — whether you're passionate about marine conservation or simply curious, there's something for everyone. This summer, FishBar used the medium of "listening" to share the underwater symphony that makes up the ocean ecosystem; come winter, they're planning a series focused on "flavors of the sea" to promote sustainable seafood.
FishBar's merchandise is equally impressive. In addition to locally caught sustainable seafood, they offer fish-themed playing cards and board games that tell you which fish are in season throughout the year. There's also gin, popcorn, and fish floss made from bonito. And if you find yourself craving these flavors long after your visit, no need to make another trip to Hualien — you can order directly from their website and have everything delivered to your door.
The playing cards work just as well for your everyday card game as they do for learning about the fish species commonly found around Taiwan throughout the four seasons. Image credit: FishBar
Set Sail for Whale Watching and Citizen Science: Turumoan Whale Watching
Taiwan rarely tops anyone's list of whale-watching destinations, yet the island sits at the confluence of major ocean currents, making its eastern coast a natural hotspot for cetaceans — with sightings of over one-third of the world's whale and dolphin species recorded in Taiwanese waters. Turumoan, the first whale-watching company to operate out of Hualien Harbour and a fresh recipient of three nominations at the Regional Revitalization Awards, doesn't just take you out to spot cetaceans — it introduces you to their behaviors and brings you face to face with the whale and dolphin residents of these waters.
Whether you prefer a Mandarin, Taiwanese, or Hakka guided tour, or you'd like to join a night-watching or photography excursion, Turumoan has you covered. Onboard guides include renowned cetacean photographer Jin Lei, celebrated ocean literature author Liao Hongji — widely regarded as the godfather of whale watching — and trained lecturers from the Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation, which has been dedicated to cetacean conservation in Hualien for years. This trip is guaranteed to leave you brimming with knowledge and absolutely worth every penny.
The classic whale-watching tour is accompanied by an interpreter from the Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation. Image credit: Turumoan Whale Watching
One program we'd especially like to highlight is the "Pacific Sperm Whale π Project" — a five-hour voyage that turns participants into active contributors to a sperm whale research initiative. In the past, the probability of spotting a sperm whale was less than 1%, but in 2023 that figure suddenly jumped to 6%. To better understand sperm whale behavior and habits, Turumoan has partnered with the Hualien Formosa Association to plan 60 hours of survey voyages each season, inviting the public to help record sperm whale vocalizations, imagery, and movement tracks.
The Pacific Sperm Whale π Project voyages head into more distant waters, which is why the trip takes considerably longer. Image credit: Turumoan Whale Watching
Getting Close to the Sea, Knowing the Sea — That's How We Learn to Love It: Taiwan Dive
If splashing in the waves, snorkeling, SUP, or surfing no longer satisfies your love of the ocean, and you're hungry for deeper exploration, scuba diving might be just the answer. Taiwan is surrounded by sea, and the Northeast Coast, Orchid Island, Green Island, Kenting, Xiaoliuqiu, and Penghu are all popular diving areas. This time we're shining a spotlight on Taiwan Dive, a dive shop in Hengchun where you can dive year-round.
"Bring ocean into your life" — the bold tagline hangs behind the front reception desk. Taiwan Dive wants more people to personally enter the ocean, feel its beauty, and join the effort to protect it. CEO Chen Qi'en has continuously explored ways the dive industry can safeguard the sea throughout her time running the business. The building itself is a green-certified structure, and 20% of annual profits are channeled into a Blue Fund used to organize ocean cleanups, beach cleanups, and underwater elementary school graduation ceremonies. Guests who come to take courses or dive are also encouraged to reduce single-use plastic consumption and to use reef-safe sunscreen.
Each year, Taiwan Dive uses its Blue Fund to host an underwater elementary school graduation ceremony, presenting diplomas beneath the surface and giving children a meaningful connection to the sea. Image credit: Taiwan Dive
Taiwan Dive doesn't stop at creating ocean connections through its core services. In recent years it has steadily woven together land-based itineraries and activities around Kenting — from customized day-trip programs tailored to corporate clients that move from land to underwater, to the Ocean Life Festival on World Ocean Day, and Taiwan Dive's signature annual "Homecoming Day" event, now in its 12th consecutive year, which invites everyone back to Kenting to join an ocean cleanup dive and draws more people toward the sea.
Homecoming Day is Taiwan Dive's flagship annual event, calling divers back to Kenting for a collective ocean cleanup. Image credit: Taiwan Dive
Next time you're in Kenting soaking up the southern Taiwan vibes, why not stop by Taiwan Dive? Let a professional instructor guide you through the stunning underwater scenery — and through your visit, support their ongoing mission to protect the ocean, helping shift public perception of the sea from something to fear to something to embrace with confidence.
Everyone Has the Right to Enjoy the Ocean: Wohsin Life Care
The right to enjoy the ocean shouldn't belong only to the able-bodied — people with disabilities deserve it too. Seeing the gap between medical care and rehabilitation support, occupational therapist Chen Jianhong founded Wohsin Life Care to provide people with disabilities with custom-fitted assistive devices. The service is built around each individual's needs, encompassing home space assessments, and post-purchase adjustments and repairs — a one-stop solution that spares people with disabilities the frustration of ill-fitting equipment and the risk of secondary injury.
The founder is also a freediving instructor who, while diving, noticed the near-total absence of people with disabilities in the water and felt it was a real shame. While adaptive scuba diving programs existed, there was nothing focused on freediving for people with disabilities. So three years ago, he established Chillax Freediving (Chillax Freediving) — open not just to able-bodied participants, but to anyone with a disability who wants to experience the sport.
Rather than certification, the focus for participants with disabilities is on enjoying the underwater experience and exercising their right to leisure and sport. To date, students with lower-limb amputations, spinal injuries, visual impairments (including total blindness), and hearing impairments have all taken the plunge, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The very first student with a disability that Chen taught — who was also the first student of his entire coaching career — even went on to compete in a freediving competition. As Taiwan's first freediving brand dedicated to adaptive diving, Chillax Freediving combines Chen's background as an occupational therapist with expert coaching, providing professional assistive device support throughout each dive and assessing the most suitable diving approach for each individual's physical condition.
Adaptive freediving not only offers people with disabilities an additional sporting option but also brings positive benefits to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Image credit: Chillax Freediving
From the dinner table to the open sea, from whale watching to scuba diving, these four social innovators are each finding their own way to bring us closer to the ocean. The sea is not merely a distant blue backdrop — it is part of the world we live in. When we choose sustainable seafood, participate in research surveys, support eco-friendly fishing methods, or break through our own limits and step into the water, we are all finding ways to close the gap between ourselves and the deep blue.
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