Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon®: Where Ocean Restoration, Climate Action, and Community Resilience Converge
Carbonmark is proud to welcome a new listing to the marketplace: Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon®, a pioneering blue carbon project restoring kelp forests, regenerating marine ecosystems, and delivering verified climate impact off the coast of Isla San Martín, Baja California, Mexico.
This is not just a carbon project. It’s a long-term investment in ocean health—built to last centuries.
Why the Ocean, and Why Kelp?
The ocean absorbs over 25% of global CO₂ emissions and produces more than half of the oxygen we breathe. Yet many of its most productive ecosystems—especially kelp forests—have been severely degraded by warming waters, habitat loss, and overfishing.
Kelp forests are among the planet’s most powerful natural climate allies. They grow rapidly, support dense marine food webs, and play a crucial role in carbon cycling. But kelp needs hard substrates to anchor itself to—something vast stretches of sandy seabed simply don’t provide.
That’s where Sea Cave® comes in.
Turning Ocean Deserts into Living Reefs
Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon® deploys patented biogenic reef structures designed to mimic natural rocky habitat in areas historically dominated by sand. These turtle-shaped concrete modules provide vertical relief, internal cavities, and biogenic microtexture that enable kelp and marine life to flourish where ecosystems were previously absent.
Since 2023, 900+ Sea Cave® units have been deployed under a federal seabed lease capable of hosting up to 15,000 units, making this one of the largest active kelp-restoration reef systems in the region.
Each Sea Cave® is engineered to:
Regenerate kelp forests
Support 1,000+ kg of marine life over its lifespan
Deliver 4–8 tCO₂e per year through a hybrid of carbon removal and emissions reductions
Remain functional for 500+ years underwater
This is permanent ocean infrastructure and not just a temporary intervention.
Carbon Impact: Removal and Reduction Working Together
Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon® delivers climate impact through two complementary pathways:
Carbon Removal
Independent monitoring confirms that Sea Cave® reefs rapidly generate high-density marine biomass, enabling CO₂ removal through:
Macroalgal photosynthesis, with kelp stipe densities of 20–30 stipes/m²—well above nearby natural patch reefs
Local and offshore carbon burial, as kelp detritus settles into sediments beneath the reefs or is transported offshore
Standing-stock carbon, stored in living kelp, algae, invertebrates, and fish communities
Prior to deployment, the project area consisted of over 97% sand, with negligible biological productivity and effectively zero baseline carbon removal—establishing strong additionality.
Emissions Reductions
By creating productive fishing grounds closer to shore, the project reduces vessel travel distances, fuel consumption, and associated CO₂ emissions from small-scale fisheries. These reductions are quantified using behavioral surveys, GPS-based travel patterns, and validated emissions factors.
Integrity Anchored in Science
Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon® is built on a robust scientific foundation:
Methodology developed by a science team at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Independent validation and verification conducted by Earthood Services Pvt. Ltd.
Registered with the International Carbon Registry (ICR) and aligned with ISO 14064-2:2019 and ISO 14064-3:2019
Credits issued onchain, ensuring transparency, traceability, and protection against double counting
During its first monitoring period (Aug 2023–Jun 2024), the project achieved 1,719.62 tCO₂e of independently verified net GHG mitigation.
Beyond Carbon: Biodiversity and Community Impact
Carbon is only part of the story.
Ecosystem Recovery
The 2025 ecological monitoring report documents a dramatic transformation:
Reef fish biomass nearly double that of nearby control sites
New kelp canopy forming where none previously existed
Colonization by large-bodied invertebrates
Expansion of adjacent eelgrass beds
Increased presence of higher-trophic species, including harbor seals
Each True Blue Carbon® credit is paired 1:1 with a Blue Credit®, a biodiversity credit guaranteeing the generation of at least 100 kg of marine life per year, independently monitored and contractually assured.
Supporting Coastal Communities
The Rocas de San Martín fishing cooperative actively participated in the development of this project, resulting in:
Improved catch quality and safety
Reduced fuel costs and greater economic resilience
Strengthened local food security
Job creation in reef fabrication, deployment, monitoring, and potential eco-tourism
A Long-Term Value Proposition
A defining feature of Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon® is the direct link between credit purchases and permanent ocean restoration.
For every Sea Cave® deployed, buyers are financing centuries of ecosystem services—habitat creation, fisheries enhancement, carbon cycling, and biodiversity regeneration. Over its lifetime, a single unit delivers tens of millions of dollars’ worth of ecosystem value to the ocean and the coastal communities that depend on it.
Now Available on Carbonmark
Credits from Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon® are now live on the Carbonmark Marketplace and available for instant purchase and retirement, with full on-chain transparency.
Explore the listing and buy credits: https://app.carbonmark.com/projects/ICR-91
Check our Buyers’ page for a step-by-step guide to purchasing carbon credits through our platform.
If your organization is looking for verifiable blue carbon credits that deliver lasting climate, biodiversity, and community impact, Sea Cave® True Blue Carbon® is an excellent choice.
