Community Guidelines & Content Moderation Policy

Effective date: June 22, 2026

1. Who these guidelines cover

Ocean's Freedom is a community for surfers, divers, freedivers, sailors, ocean travelers, and anyone who feels the ocean in their soul. These guidelines apply to everyone, and to all content a user posts, uploads, comments, shares, or otherwise contributes ("user content"). By posting or interacting, you agree to these guidelines. They work alongside our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

2. Age requirement — 18 and up

You must be 18 years of age or older to create an account or to post, comment, or interact socially on Ocean's Freedom. Any account found to belong to a person under 18 will be removed.

3. The spirit of this place

Ocean's Freedom exists for humanity, for the animals, for the world. We expect every member to: treat others with respect even in disagreement; share honestly and credit sources; respect the ocean, marine life, and the environment in what they post and encourage; and keep this a place people feel safe contributing to.

4. What is not allowed

Zero tolerance — immediate removal, permanent ban, and reporting to authorities where the law requires:

Any sexual content involving a minor, or content that sexualizes, grooms, exploits, or endangers a minor.
Credible threats of violence against any person.
Content that sexually exploits, endangers, or facilitates harm to any person.

Not allowed — content removed, with escalating enforcement:

Harassment, bullying, stalking, or targeted abuse.
Hate speech, slurs, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age.
Graphic violence or gore.
Sexual or pornographic content, or nudity.
Animal cruelty, or content that encourages harming marine life, wildlife, or habitats.
Dangerous or misleading safety advice for diving, freediving, surfing, sailing, or other water activities.
Illegal activity, or promotion/sale of illegal or regulated goods.
Spam, scams, deceptive or malicious links, phishing.
Impersonating another person, organization, or Ocean's Freedom.
Sharing someone's private information without consent (doxxing).
Content that infringes intellectual property.

5. How to report content

Every piece of user content has a Report option. Reports go to our moderation team. We aim to review standard reports within 48 hours. Safety-critical reports (threats, content endangering a person, child-safety reports) are prioritized for immediate review.

6. Enforcement actions

We act based on severity and history: a warning and/or content removal for a first or minor violation; temporary suspension for repeated or serious violations; permanent ban for severe violations or repeat offenders; immediate removal, permanent ban, and a report to law enforcement for child-safety violations, credible threats, or content that endangers a person. We consider context and intent, at our discretion, to keep the community safe.

7. Appeals

If you believe a moderation decision was a mistake, you may appeal by contacting us at hello@oceansfreedom.com within 14 days of the decision. We will review and respond.

8. How moderation works

We use a combination of automated filtering, to catch the most harmful content quickly, and human review, for context, judgment, and appeals. No automated system is perfect, which is why reporting and appeals exist.

9. Changes to these guidelines

As the community grows, we may update these guidelines. Material changes will be posted here with a new "last updated" date.

10. Contact

Questions about these guidelines or a moderation decision: hello@oceansfreedom.com.