Hiroshi “KUMA” Sato

Hiroshi shares these WORDS TO LIVE BY: “There is a saying in Japanese that goes, ‘Constant dripping wears away the stone’, meaning that even slow dripping raindrops, when dripped constantly over time, will be able to create a hole in a stone, which also means to never give up. I believe in this quote because revitalizing the ocean in my area after the Great East Japan Earthquake has become a lifelong work, and I will not give up.” Kuma’s hometown Sanriku, Japan, was directly impacted by the 2011 Tsunami from Japan’s most powerful earthquake. At the time, he was working as a dive guide in Thailand but returned home to provide his support with underwater recovery efforts, and Sanriku Volunteer Divers was born. Today, Sanriku focuses on seagrass bed restoration, seafloor cleanups and marine habitat protection. He educates students and enlists divers to create the next wave of environmental advocates to help protect what we love.

• Owner of Michinoku Diving Rias
• Founder and Representative of Non-Profit Organization Sanriku Volunteer Divers
• Director of Non-Profit Organization Enoshima Fisherman's Project
• Director of Umi to Nihon Project in Iwate
• 2014 Minister of the Environment Award, Good Life Award, Ministry of the Environment, Grand Prize
• 2018 Japan Reconstruction Excellence Award
• 2023 Sea Hero