About Hong Kong Dolphinwatch Ltd. Hong Kong Dolphinwatch was founded in 1995, and became a limited company in December 1999. Founder Bill Leverett had three goals in mind:
- to raise awareness of the plight of the pink dolphins,
- to give them an economic value by helping them contribute to the tourist economy, and
- to generate revenue for research and campaigns.
Awareness
In its first five years, Hong Kong Dolphinwatch Ltd. has run over 570 trips, and taken approximately 20,000 people to see the dolphins. Each trip includes a talk on the environmental situation, and passengers are given handouts with information on how they can help the dolphins. Directly or indirectly, Hong Kong Dolphinwatch Ltd. has been responsible for numerous articles, radio and television spots, and advertisements, informing countless people in Hong Kong and overseas of the existence of the dolphins. Hong Kong Dolphinwatch Ltd. also gives slideshows for schools and other organisations, and maintains this website.Economic value
Annual turnover for the last several years has been just over HK$1 million. While this is negligible compared to the economic value of the airport development, fishing, and shipping that contribute to the dolphins' demise, it is a significant addition to Hong Kong's budding eco-tourism industry. More and more people are coming to Hong Kong specifically to see the dolphins, so the dolphins are contributing significantly, if indirectly, to the general tourism industry.Research and campaigns
Hong Kong Dolphinwatch donate money to World Wide Fund for Nature (HK) to support dolphin research project headed by Dr. Lindsay Porter. (See How much of this money goes to the dolphins?). All sightings and photographs from dolphinwatches are recorded and passed on to researchers. Hong Kong Dolphinwatch Ltd. works with various local green groups on dolphin-related events, contributing prizes, photos, publicity, and in some cases cash donations.Want to share our dreams and become one of us?
We are now recruiting part-time tour guide in order to strengthen our team and provide a chance for dolphin-lovers to share our dreams. For more details, please refer to the ads here or send us an e-mail at info@hkdolphinwatch.com. Look forward to hearing from you soon!
Captain Dai Ming, 1962-2007
It is with the deepest sadness that we have to announce the passing of our beloved boat driver, Captain Wong Tai Wing ("Dai Ming"), on November 19th, 2007.
Dai Ming was a vital part of Hong Kong Dolphinwatch from the beginning and shared his love of the sea and the dolphins with us for over ten years. He and his brother and other relatives, with their many years' experience at sea, have been an important part of what we now know about Hong Kong's dolphins.
Even in what seemed like impossible conditions, Dai Ming was always determined to find the dolphins, occasionally returning to shore way behind schedule, but with a smile in his face at having been able to share the dolphins with our guests. He shared our joy on the days we had exceptional sightings, and our disappointment on the few days with no sightings, feeling personally responsible for the lack of dolphins.
He would tell us tales of his childhood, when he recalled there many fish and many dolphins, and would sadly shake his head at the degradation of the fish and dolphin habitats. All of us assumed we would have many more years at sea together, telling tales of Dolphinwatch's early days into our old age. With little formal education, Dai Ming still had a great deal of knowledge to share with us and our guests from all over the world, with whom he was always eager to converse, regardless of language barriers. Dai Ming was a true friend to the dolphins and all of us, and will be sorely missed.
Our thoughts are with his family at this most difficult time.
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