From International Diving Excellence to Ocean Guardianship and Peace: A Historic Opportunity for SI

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From International Diving Excellence to Ocean Guardianship and Peace: A Historic Opportunity for Solomon Islands

A Personal Congratulatory Reflection and Invitation

By Rex Stephen Horoi

Founder, Oceans for Peace (O4P)

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5 November 2026

To Tourism Solomons, the recipients of the Scuba Diving Magazine Readers’ Choice Award, PADI Media Group, the DEMA Show organisers, and the international diving community:

It is with immense national pride and heartfelt appreciation that I extend my warmest congratulations to Tourism Solomons and everyone whose efforts have contributed to Solomon Islands receiving the prestigious Scuba Diving Magazine 2027 Readers’ Choice Award, presented at the 2026 DEMA Show in New Orleans, United States.

I particularly congratulate Ms Fiona Teama and Ms Eldona Lokay, who accepted this recognition on behalf of our country, and thank Mr Jeff Mondle of PADI Media Group, Scuba Diving Magazine, the award organisers and the international divers whose appreciation has brought our remarkable ocean heritage to the world’s attention.

As a Solomon Islander and Founder of Oceans for Peace (O4P), I regard this achievement not merely as an award for exceptional diving, but as a valuable opportunity to advance a larger national and global purpose.

The ocean is not simply a destination to be visited. It is a living inheritance to be respected, understood, protected and passed on to generations yet unborn.

1. An Award That Belongs to Our People and All Nine Provinces

Solomon Islands’ marine heritage is inseparable from the knowledge, culture and stewardship of its coastal communities.

This achievement should inspire opportunities for participation across all nine provinces: Central Islands, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Isabel, Makira-Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu and Western Province.

Each possesses distinctive ecosystems, customary knowledge, marine resources and conservation experiences that could contribute to an inclusive national learning initiative.

I therefore envisage an opportunity for Provincial Assemblies, provincial governments, customary authorities, community-based conservation groups, women, youth and local enterprises to participate voluntarily in shaping a shared national ocean stewardship and custodianship endeavour.

The objective would not be to impose another institutional structure, but to strengthen and connect existing initiatives through cooperation, learning and locally determined priorities.

2. Connecting Ocean of Peace and Oceans for Peace

This award arrives at an especially meaningful moment in Pacific history.

In September 2025, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders, meeting in Honiara, endorsed the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration, recognising Pacific peoples as custodians of the Blue Pacific Continent and affirming the connections between peace, security, environmental well-being and sustainable development.

This regional vision has a natural complement in Oceans for Peace (O4P), an independent initiative advancing the understanding that the world’s five ocean regions are interconnected through One Ocean System, One Humanity and One Future.

The distinction is important: the Ocean of Peace provides a Pacific-led regional framework, while O4P seeks to contribute a broader global perspective through regenerative ocean diplomacy, ecological responsibility and human cooperation.

Neither initiative requires the other to surrender its identity, legitimacy or mandate.

Instead, Solomon Islands’ award could provide an innovative practical stimulus for both: a locally grounded example of how ocean custodianship, responsible stewardship, sustainable development and peace can reinforce one another.

3. Our Coastal Knowledge Holders: The Bedrock of Sustainable Ocean Governance

The most enduring value of this achievement lies in recognising our Indigenous and local coastal knowledge holders.

Custodianship reflects their longstanding cultural relationships, customary responsibilities, knowledge and legitimate authority concerning marine resources.

Stewardship concerns the practical responsibility of caring for those resources through conservation, sustainable use, monitoring, restoration and cooperation.

Together, they offer a strong foundation for community-led ocean governance.

Traditional knowledge and modern marine science should be brought into constructive dialogue, with respect for customary rights, community consent, culturally appropriate knowledge protection and fair sharing of benefits.

This is especially important because marine ecosystems face interacting pressures from climate change, pollution, unsustainable extraction and coastal development.

Scientific credibility will require more than celebrating beautiful reefs. It will require locally appropriate evidence of ecological conditions, changing pressures, conservation effectiveness and community well-being.

4. An Economically Attractive and Environmentally Responsible Opportunity

International recognition can strengthen Solomon Islands’ reputation in sustainable marine tourism and attract responsible investment.

However, lasting economic value should not be measured simply by increasing visitor numbers.

It should also be assessed through local employment, community-owned enterprises, retained tourism income, skills development, sustainable fisheries and protection of the natural assets upon which tourism depends.

Well-managed diving tourism can create incentives for marine protection, but poorly managed growth can damage the very ecosystems attracting visitors.

There is therefore a compelling opportunity to pursue higher-value, lower-impact tourism, supported by appropriate visitor management, environmental safeguards and equitable community participation.

International development partners, conservation organisations, philanthropic foundations, research institutions and responsible investors could be invited to support locally designed initiatives.

Such assistance should build the capabilities of communities, provincial administrations and relevant national institutions, rather than establish isolated projects dependent indefinitely on outside funding.

5. Transforming the Award into a Living Educational Legacy

I see particular promise in making this achievement an inspiring learning opportunity for our children.

Imagine schools throughout the nine provinces examining this award as a living Solomon Islands case study, exploring the relationships between ocean biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge, science, sustainable livelihoods and peace.

Students could learn from community elders, fishers, conservation practitioners, scientists, teachers and responsible dive operators.

They could study coral reef health, marine life, customary conservation practices, water quality, climate risks and opportunities for environmentally responsible entrepreneurship.

Participating schools and communities could develop practical learning activities in locally appropriate languages, supported by educators and research institutions.

Solomon Islands National University, including its Centre for Islands Futures, could be invited to explore opportunities for appropriate research and educational support, subject to institutional consideration and community agreement.

Over time, locally approved lessons could be shared across the Pacific and internationally.

The greatest educational legacy would be young Solomon Islanders learning that protecting the ocean is simultaneously an act of cultural responsibility, ecological care, economic foresight and peaceful cooperation.

6. From Recognition to Measurable Results

For such an initiative to be scientifically credible and attractive to responsible donors, its achievements should be independently and transparently assessed.

A practical approach could begin with willing communities and provinces, building upon existing conservation activities and establishing baseline indicators of reef condition, fisheries health, environmental pressures, local employment, livelihood benefits and student participation.

Community knowledge holders should help define what success means, how information is collected, who may access it and how findings are used.

Successful approaches could then be adapted elsewhere, respecting the ecological, cultural and institutional differences among provinces.

This would provide donors and participating institutions with evidence of results while keeping accountability to communities at the centre.

7. A Legacy Worth Building Together

The historical significance of this international award will ultimately depend on what follows.

It has the potential to become far more than an occasion for national celebration. With care, consultation and collective commitment, it could inspire one of Solomon Islands’ important contributions to the global conversation on community-based ocean governance.

I envisage nine provinces contributing their knowledge, communities guiding conservation, young people learning from their elders, scientists strengthening the evidence, and international partners supporting locally defined priorities.

Such an endeavour could become a practical expression of the Pacific’s Ocean of Peace and a living contribution to the global ambitions of Oceans for Peace.

As Founder of O4P, I extend this reflection not as an institutional commitment or an externally prescribed programme, but as an invitation to dialogue, partnership and shared imagination.

To the awardees, organisers, diving community and all those whose work has earned this recognition, I offer my deepest appreciation.

May this achievement inspire us to see that our greatest national asset is not merely the beauty of the ocean, but the wisdom, dignity and responsibility with which our people sustain it.

Let this award celebrate what Solomon Islands has achieved—and inspire what our nine provinces, our coastal knowledge holders and our children can accomplish together for the Pacific and the world.

With congratulations and warm regards,

Rex Stephen Horoi

Founder, Oceans for Peace (O4P)
[email protected]

SUVA, FIJI ISLANDS

One Ocean System • One Humanity • One Future

An independent personal contribution in support of ocean custodianship, stewardship, education and lasting global