Throughout June, Ambassador Cruise Line is supporting a new initiative by long-term partner, ORCA, that aims to inspire the next generation of ‘citizen scientists’ – the passionate volunteers without a formal science background who help collect real-world data that directly informs marine conservation efforts.
2026 marks a quarter century since the marine conservation charity was founded and to celebrate, ORCA have launched their ORCA@25 campaign on World Environment Day, offering members of the public complimentary access to its Citizen Scientist training programme throughout June 2026.
With a view to strengthening the charity’s network and help secure another 25 years of vital data collection, the Citizen Scientist Course Bundle includes beginner-friendly training on how to identify whales, dolphins and porpoises, plus guidance on how to record sightings and contribute to real conservation science. It offers participants the opportunity to take part in ORCA’s citizen science work on land, at sea, or on partner vessels including Ambassador’s cruise ships Ambience, Ambition and Renaissance.
The ORCA@25 campaign is being fully supported and promoted by Ambassador through various communication channels including digital marketing, email, the ambassadorcruiseline.com website and social media.
As one of ORCA’s long-standing strategic partners, the UK’s leading independent cruise operator has worked alongside the charity since 2021, helping to raise awareness of marine conservation among thousands of guests while supporting essential scientific research.
Since Ambassador’s inaugural sailing in April 2022, ORCA Ocean Conservationists have joined guests on a range of sailings, delivering an extensive programme of lectures, Q&A sessions and wildlife watching experiences while inspiring guests to play an active role in protecting the marine environment.
In that time, ORCA has recorded more than 21,000 whale, dolphin and porpoise across more than 1,500 days at sea aboard the Ambassador fleet. The valuable scientific data collected continues to support the charity’s wider research programme and help inform marine conservation policy across the UK and Europe.
The partnership also sees Ambassador and ORCA continue to jointly champion the cruise industry’s first and only anti-whaling campaign, raising awareness of the continued threats facing marine mammals and promoting responsible tourism practices in destinations visited by the fleet.
Christian Verhounig, Chief Executive Officer of Ambassador Cruise Line, said:
“Everyone at Ambassador is proud to join ORCA in celebrating this important milestone and World Environment Day. Over the last 25 years, the charity has become one of the leading voices in marine conservation, inspiring countless people to play an active role in protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises.
“Since welcoming ORCA’s marine conservationists aboard, we have supported more than 1,500 days of conservation activity at sea, helping them to gather valuable scientific data and inspire thousands of guests to learn more about the marine environments we visit. That is an achievement of which everyone involved should be immensely proud.
“Helping the charity raise awareness of its complimentary Citizen Scientist training programme is a fitting way for us to mark this anniversary, helping even more guests, and indeed the wider public, to gain the knowledge and confidence to contribute to marine conservation. We are proud to support the ORCA@25 initiative and would encourage anyone with a passion for our oceans to get involved.”
Steve Jones, Chief Operating Officer at ORCA, added: “As we celebrate 25 years of ORCA, we are incredibly grateful to Ambassador, which has been a passionate and vocal supporter of our work since we first launched the partnership in 2021. Since our Ocean Conservationists first joined guests onboard the fleet in early 2022 to conduct scientific research and deliver a programme of educational activities for guests, our collaboration has inspired thousands of people to learn more about whales and dolphins and how anyone can play their part in creating safer oceans.
“Offering free of charge access to our Citizen Scientist training programme throughout June is designed to make marine conservation accessible to everyone. We are delighted that our long-standing partner, Ambassador, is helping us spread that message as we look ahead to the next 25 years.”
Guests looking to book any of Ambassador’s dedicated ORCA itineraries can find further details via https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/cruise-types/orca/
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