SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 15, 2026 – The Attitude Group and its nonprofit arm, the Attitude Foundation, have launched Ekol'o — a converted catamaran turned floating marine education center now operating in the northern lagoon of Mauritius. Active since early June 2026 and based at Anse-la-Raie next to the Lagoon Attitude hotel, Ekol'o represents a significant step forward for ocean awareness on the island: it takes the work of the Marine Discovery Centre, which has been running since 2010, and moves it off the shore and directly into the water. The name comes from Mauritian Creole — "lekol" means school, "o" means water — and the concept is exactly that simple and that ambitious.
Fifteen Years in the Making
Ekol'o didn't appear out of nowhere. The Marine Discovery Centre was founded by the Attitude Foundation in 2010 and has been based at the Lagoon Attitude hotel ever since. Led by a team of marine biologists, the center built a track record over a decade and a half covering research into humpback whales and blue-carbon ecosystems, community programs with local populations, and educational outreach to schools across the north of the island. That foundation of credibility is what makes Ekol'o more than a tourism gimmick — it's a genuine extension of an established scientific body, with data collection built into every excursion.
The Attitude Group's founder, Jean-Michel Pitot, has been direct about the philosophy behind it all. As a hotelier operating on a small island, he has said, you cannot benefit from a place without giving something back — and waiting for someone else to protect what sustains you is not a strategy. The Attitude Foundation was his answer to that logic, and the Marine Discovery Centre became one of its flagship projects.
What Actually Happens on Board
Participants boarding Ekol'o aren't signing up for a leisurely boat trip. Certified Marine Eco-Guides lead workshops covering topics including sea turtles, humpback whales, and plankton. Those sessions are then paired with guided snorkeling excursions, giving participants a direct, in-water encounter with what they've just been learning about. Crucially, what gets observed during those snorkeling sessions feeds directly back into the Marine Discovery Centre's research data — making every participant an active contributor to ongoing scientific work.
For safety and quality, the ratio is capped at one guide per ten participants, rising to two guides for groups of up to twenty. Schools, university students, and local residents are explicitly included in the program alongside hotel guests — the center has never positioned itself as an amenity for visitors only.
A Snorkeling Trail Designed to Teach
A dedicated snorkeling trail was developed specifically for Ekol'o, marked by buoys and supplemented by information points about local biodiversity. The trail connects the marine areas in front of four of the group's northern hotels — Coin de Mire Attitude, Lagoon Attitude, Zilwa Attitude, and Paradise Cove Boutique Hotel — creating a continuous protected educational corridor along the coastline.
The learning objectives built into the trail are specific: participants learn to identify corals, fish, and reef species; they understand why marine protected areas exist; and from the outset they're taught responsible snorkeling behavior, which in itself directly improves safety in the water. The immersive format is intentional — the principle being that hands-on discovery creates a different quality of understanding than a classroom session ever could.
Part of a Longer Sustainability Commitment
Ekol'o sits within a wider sustainability framework that the Attitude Group has been building for years. The group eliminated single-use plastics, sources more than 52 percent of its food locally, provides reef-safe sunscreen to guests at no charge, and achieved B Corp certification in 2024. The launch of Ekol'o is consistent with that trajectory — it makes the Marine Discovery Centre's work more visible and more accessible, while extending its reach into new audiences.
Lisa Simrique Singh, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and the Seychelles, highlighted the initiative as a model for how local action can address global challenges, pointing to the importance of operating not just as a group but as a whole ecosystem. Mauritius Tourism Secretary of State Sydney Pierre noted that the project's name — which works equally in Creole, French, and English — carries its own message about the urgency of reaching young people and visitors alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Ekol'o only open to guests of Attitude Group hotels? A: No. Schools, students, and local residents can also participate in the program alongside hotel guests.
Q: Does snorkeling with Ekol'o contribute to science? A: Yes — observations made during guided snorkeling excursions are fed directly into the Marine Discovery Centre's research database, making participants active contributors to marine science.
Q: Where exactly is Ekol'o based? A: The catamaran is stationed at Anse-la-Raie in northern Mauritius, next to the Lagoon Attitude hotel.
Q: What is the Marine Discovery Centre? A: It's a marine research and awareness center founded by the Attitude Foundation in 2010, staffed by marine biologists and focused on protecting the coastal and marine ecosystems of Mauritius.
Learn more about Ekol'o and the Attitude Foundation's work at Attitude Hotels