Find your people.
Live the ocean life.
A global support network where ocean-minded nomads connect, team up, and meet in real life.
Home for the Wildhearts
Ocean Nomads helps people step confidently into the ocean lifestyle through real skills, real community, and real experience at sea. We find each other across anchorages, ports, basecamps, and wild places. Rooted in sailing. Open to all wilder lifestyles. You don’t have to feel ready. Almost everyone here started unsure.
250+
Members
75+
Boat owners & projects
40+
Nationalities
1000+
Ripple effects
Different Stages. Shared Values. One Network.
Wherever you are in your ocean life, there’s a place for you here. Most members move through all three.
New Explorers
Drawn to the ocean lifestyle. Ready to meet others living it.
You feel the pull but don’t know how to start. Come meet the people already doing it. In anchorages, vans, and wild places.
Active Nomads
Sailors, surfers, freedivers, hikers, and roamers of the big blue.
Already living between ocean and nature. On boats, in vans, between basecamps. Find a crew who gets it, without explaining.
Changemakers
Missions, projects, expeditions with impact.
You’re building something for the ocean. Find visibility, collaborators, and a network to amplify what you’re creating.
Know your big dreams are normal here.
Almost everyone here started with the same thoughts: “I’m not experienced enough.” “I don’t know where to start.” “What if I don’t fit in?”
Then they met the people who made it normal. Three of them:
Nadiem
“Without Ocean Nomads I would never have gotten into sailing.”
Joined one trip in Spain. Total newbie. Stayed 1.5 months on a fellow member vessel. Crewed to the Canaries. Bought his own sailboat 3 months in from a fellow Ocean Nomad. Meeting ocean nomads members on the way. Now Nadiem tells stories from big stages.
Koen
First human to cross the Atlantic by kite. We got his back.
Koen brought his mission to the community and found support vessel, crew, and crucial ocean insights helping to make the impossible, possible.
Simon
9 boats. 178 days. Europe to Central America.
Skills built on Ocean Nomads trips. A network at his back for advice and connections to continue the journey, 9 boats, 178 days, 4,700NM to Guatemala.
What Ocean Nomads is
- A trusted support network who got your back around the world
- Personalized advice from people who’ve explored your route.
- Health & Eco-minded. Purpose-driven & Values-aligned.
- Real answers from humans who’ve actually been there.
- People who show up for each other.
- Collective impact, conservation & action for a healthier ocean.
What you’ll find elsewhere
- Boat-tracking tools without a human behind them.
- Advice from strangers who won’t be there when it matters.
- Open to anyone. No vetting. No shared values.
- Forums full of noise. Your question lost in the scroll.
- Places where most take. Few show up to give back.
- Content to scroll. No impact to show.
This season: Twister sails around the Atlantic
12 November to 29 March. Eight legs crewed by members and friends, and on 3 January three member missions sail out of Mindelo together. Members get €100 off every leg and priority application.
We meet in real life
Meetups happen wherever our anchors drop. Some are planned, most just happen: someone posts “who’s around?” and a table fills up. This season:
Netherlands, 4 September
On SV Windfall in Almere.
Meet the people behind three big ocean expeditions before they sail: Thomas heading for the Arctic, Koen kiting across the Atlantic, and the Twister voyage crews. Free for members.
Mindelo, New Year
The big one.
New Year with the crews in Cabo Verde, and on 3 January three member missions sail out of the bay together. Possibly our biggest gathering by the sea ever.
The Ocean Nomads Map
See who is navigating near you.
Members, vessels, vans, basecamps, and eco spots pinned worldwide. The meetups between the meetups start here.
Plus the monthly online meet-up, the Amsterdam homecoming when Twister sails back in on 29 March, and spontaneous gatherings wherever members drop anchor. Dates and locations live inside the member network.
One yes starts the ripple effect
Examples of how the Ocean Nomads community is working out for our members
Citizen Science
Laura joined with a citizen science background. Now has members collecting ocean research data for her projects from boats around the world.
Rescue at Sea
Eoin sailed solo from the Azores to Ireland. Storm hit. Boat sank 400NM from shore. A fellow member on land tracked him via InReach and coordinated the rescue that got him home.
First Passage
Jan read the book. Joined the network. A crew call took him from the Canaries to Cape Verde, Senegal, and up the Gambia River, making his dream come true.
Found His Ride
Luca found his first sailboat ride through the network. Didn’t stop sailing. He co-skippered an Ocean Nomads trip and contributes a member resource on group dynamics on board. He never went back.
From Crew to Captain
Menno joined the network, answered a crew call. Stepped aboard for his first ocean miles. Many ON meet-ups and miles later he bought his own vessel and is welcoming members on board.
Ocean Conservation
Blair sailed Hobart to Melbourne across the Bass Strait. He jumped into the network with a big passion for ocean conservation, which led him to skipper an Ocean Nomads trip. Now he opened his boat to Ocean Nomads crew sailing Tasmania.
Local Welcome
Aldo sailed into Grenada. A quick community post connected him with local members who shared tips and showed him around town. Two other Ocean Nomads members now sail the world with Aldo, connected via the network.
Captain’s License
Paula joined with zero sailing experience. Jumped on many ocean nomads trips and vessel. 4 years later she now passed her Patrón de Yate, Spain’s captain’s license.
Co-Creation
Brianna & Carine met through the network. Now co-create horseback riding, surf, and sail trips together.
Tribe standards
- Nature-led. We move with weather, tides, and seasons.
- Health-first. No party culture. Intentional, alive, awake. Vegetarian, alcohol & smoke-free trips.
- Peer-supported. Skill exchange before sales. We show up for each other.
- Regenerative. Low impact. Protecting what we explore.
- Conscious & curious. Slowing down when it counts. We skip the small talk.
If this feels like home, you’re one of us!
Like a personal advisory board, wherever you roam
250+ humans. All one message away.
Connection
Pin yourself on the map. Find each other. Meet in real life.
Action
Crew calls, trips, collaborations, expeditions. Real-time opportunities.
Support
Tips, resources, feedback, and peer support from people who live it
Impact
Zero waste nomadlife tracking and tips, conservation, mentoring, and eco projects.
Boat owners, captains & hosts
Your boat. Crew who get it.
Do you operate your boat in a cooperative and conscious way? 75+ vessel members use the network to find hand-reviewed, values-aligned crew who show up prepared, and to raft up, host meetups at their anchorage, swap route intel and organic provisioning spots, and get hands-on help with refits and passages.
Our vegetarian, alcohol and smoke-free trip culture attracts the kind of crew who respect your boat and the ocean. And the For Captains Taking on Crew guide in the Resource Library walks you from vetting questions to smooth operations at sea.
“As skipper of the sailing vessel Windfall I’ve met some amazing crew through Ocean Nomads. Like-minded people with a focus on healthy living and a real awareness for nature. Easy going, motivated, and just a really good fit for life at sea. It didn’t just help me find crew, but also brought me new friends along the way.”
Thomas, skipper of SV Windfall
Got a basecamp, finca, or mooring near the sea? Pin it on the map and open it to nomads passing through.
Without Ocean Nomads I would never have gotten into sailing and bought my own sailboat. All in 3 months.
Nadiem
What I hoped to gain was the option of finding crew. Instead what I found is a collection of people who get what I do, who understand why we make certain choices, and who are willing to support each other.
Michiel
I met 9 really beautiful people that I now know will be a part of my life for the rest of my life. There is something really unifying about sailing.
Simon N.
Scrolling through the posts I have a warm feeling of belonging. Values and ideas resonate very well.
Luca T.
From the moment you come aboard
01
Explore & introduce yourself
Create profile, Pin yourself on the map. Share what you’re looking for and explore tips, stories, and member profiles.
02
Find your people
Browse the noticeboard, map and community feed. Join your first New Moon Meetup, discover resources and stories. Start having real conversations
03
Things are happening
You’re on a boat, planning one, hosting others, or shaping a project the community rallies around.
Thoughts before you join
We built Ocean Nomads because we needed it ourselves. Real value-aligned connections in wild ocean places.
This works if you show up. Not if you scroll. The members who get the most value post, reach out, pin their location, help others, and say yes to things that slightly scare them.
Solitude is part of nomad life. So is connection. Ocean Nomads lets you move independently, knowing there’s a crew behind you when you need one.
Everything inside your membership
The tools, the people, the perks. Instant access the moment you come aboard.
250+ trusted members
Hand-reviewed humans. Real people, vessels, and profiles. The kind of people you’d want on your boat.
A private member hub
Community feed, noticeboard, direct messages. Share your projects, find collaborators, turn conversations into adventure and impact.
A global map
Vessels, vans, basecamps, contacts, projects and local organic provision places and tips pinned worldwide. Pin yourself & explore the treasures and connections
The Resource Library
100 member-only resources. Crossing prep, packing lists, recipes for cooking on board, citizen science, captain guides, and destination tips. Hard-won lessons you won’t find anywhere else on the web.
Monthly new moon meetups
Members show up live across timezones, from anchorages, vans, and wild places, to connect and support each other.
Perks from trusted brands
Discounts on gear, courses, insurance, and tools. Companies we actually use. Often pays back the membership many times over.
But honestly? The most amazing thing is the people.
Most popular guides
The Resource Library
100 member-only resources, built from a decade of crossings and nomad life. The ones members open most:
- Sail the Atlantic as Crew: the 16-resource guide, from routes and costs to harbours and a decade of crossing data
- The Newbie Crew Mini Course: 12 video lessons, from your first intro to the 7 captain red flags
- Citizen Science Projects & Action: identify whales and dolphins, join research from your boat
- Food Recipes & Easy Cooking on Board: bread on a boat, pizza without an oven, the perfect rice
- Zero Waste & Chemical Free at Sea: from provisioning footprint to ocean-friendly soap
- For Captains Taking on Crew: from vetting questions to smooth crew operations at sea
Member stories
The real thing, told by the people living it
Inside the hub, members share how it actually went. Simon’s six-month hitchhike-sail from Tenerife to Guatemala. Janneke hitchhiking across the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. Eoin’s survival at sea. Paula’s zero-to-hero interview. A poem from an Atlantic crossing, Pim’s hitchhike from Europe to Fiji, and Peter’s crossings now and then. Spotlights, trip reports, destination guides, and the messy middle in between, with new stories landing all the time.
Membership
Come aboard
Ocean Nomads Community membership
€45/ 6 months
or €75 per year
- Access to the Hub, Map, Resource Library, and Ripple Log
- Monthly New Moon Meetups (online)
- Private crew calls, trip invites & opportunities
- Spontaneous real-world gatherings
- Member discounts on trips & partner brands
- A network that has your back, wherever you go
Cancel anytime
Frequently asked questions
Most people join for the tips and tricks. They stay for the people.