Santa’s Seaplane
What could be more rewarding than supporting a mission dedicated to delivering gifts to children over the holiday season!
LOCATION: The Bahamas
The MISSION
The Bahamas is home to hundreds of islands and small schools, many of which are extremely hard to access. Their remoteness often results in supply chain difficulties and inflated pricing, which in turn can result in the holiday season being demanding and expensive. During December 2023, our mission was to fly Santa into the Bahamas and have him hand deliver as many gifts to as many children as possible!
Planning
It was no easy task selecting, sourcing, labeling and wrapping over 250 high quality, eco-friendly gifts for the children. In addition, it took many hours of planning, organizing and coordinating staff, aircrafts, paperwork etc. The countless hours of preparation lead to two hugely succesful events on Andros Island, and The Berry Islands.
Andros Island
Children were surprised with a Santa visit at the end of their school day! Santa said a few words before calling each child by name where he presented them with a gift and a hug (if they chose). On the count of three all children excitedly ripped opened the wrapping paper to reveal their gifts while celebrating together! What a way to kick off the holiday season!
The Berry Islands
Santa made a real entrance in The Berries, he arrived by seaplane and walked the beach to meet the children! The children sprinted towards him and smothered him with hugs! The atmosphere was electric! Soon after the children gathered around Santa as he spoke about being kind to each other before passing out their gifts and candy.
Gratitude
This initiative was generously supported by Fraser Yachts and Tropic Ocean Airways, in addition to public donations. Thank you for trusting us with your kind donations. We can’t wait to do this again in 2024!
Gallery
We hope you enjoy looking through our December 2023 Santa’s Seaplane gallery below.
Speak thanks.
Over the years, Saving the Blue has collaborated with Tropic Ocean Airways on several missions, including the Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in 2019. Tropic Ocean Airways' Santa's Seaplane initiative, which began in 2013, has been a successful project, and we are honored to have been invited to join forces with them for the 2023 edition. Tropic Ocean Airways provided flight time, pilot hours, staff time, and other resources to make this mission a reality. We are incredibly grateful for Tropic Ocean Airways' visionary leadership and generous support, without which this mission would not have been possible.
“I was raised with the value of giving back, and this principle is instilled in us in the Navy. We are taught to actively volunteer in the communities where we are stationed. It is a responsibility that comes with being a member of the community. We recognize the privilege of operating and residing there, and it is our duty to contribute and give back.”
Phone: +1 (954) 210-5569 - Email: reservations@flytropic.com - Website: www.flytropic.com
Fraser Yachts is the longest-standing full-service luxury yacht specialist and joined this initiative by making a substantial donation on behalf of their yacht Owners. Fraser was proud to partner with Saving the Blue for the first-time to help kickstart this project and give back to The Islands of The Bahamas. This mission reflects Fraser’s commitment to supporting initiatives that create a positive impact on the Bahamian community.
“As Santa Claus and I both originally hail from Finland, it brings me great joy that Fraser Yachts is involved in the Santa Seaplane initiative. This opportunity allows us to give back to the island communities of The Bahamas that have given and continue to give our clients so many unforgettable moments with their loved ones on the water.”
Phone: +1 (954) 463-0600 - Email: marketing@fraseryachts.com - Website: www.fraseryachts.com
“Imagine a plane full of presents landing nearby with Santa Claus himself ready to meet you. I am beyond thankful to all who made this project go from concept to reality.”
