SPORT. STEWARDSHIP. BELONGING.THE SALTWATER CUP / 2026
THE SALTWATER CUP · 2026
One team. A shared purpose. Saltwater Cup, 2026 · Photography supplied by TIDE.
THE SALTWATER CUP · 2026Sport ✳ Environmental learning ✳ Community
2026 · A YEAR OF PARTICIPATION
It begins with a game. It grows into a connection.
About 1,400 children were involved in planting through the 2026 program, with activities reaching 14 schools.
School restoration projects brought children together before the competition. Volleyball involved 336 participants from 12 schools, with 14 players on each boys’ and girls’ team. The competition began on March 10, with eight teams progressing to the April finals.
After the finals, the champions and runners-up visited Port Honduras Marine Reserve in May, turning their achievement on the court into a chance to explore the connections between their communities, rivers and sea.
Come together on the volleyball court, share the excitement and take pride in participating.
02 / LEARN
Connect with nature
Environmental learning and restoration bring a wider purpose to the Saltwater Cup experience.
03 / DISCOVER
Go beyond match day
Protected-area trips gave the winning and runner-up teams an opportunity to experience the places TIDE protects.
Updated program figures supplied by TIDE · November 4, 2026.
THE 2026 SALTWATER CUP
Young people taking part. A connection worth supporting.
≈1,400
children involved in planting
The planting aspect connected children with practical restoration across 14 schools.
336
volleyball participants
Boys’ and girls’ teams from 12 schools, with 14 players per team.
≈420
students visiting the nursery
About 30 students per school across 14 schools took part in nursery field trips.
≈700
students in school environmental sessions
About 50 students per school across 14 schools joined environmental learning sessions.
Approximate figures are marked ≈. Children may have taken part in more than one activity, so these counts are not added together as a total of individual participants.
THE 2026 RESULTS · APRIL 22–23
Celebrating the teams. And how far they came.
From the first matches to the finals, TIDE celebrated the students’ growing teamwork, discipline and skill. Meet the 2026 champions and runners-up.
BOYS’ DIVISION
2026 CHAMPIONS
Little Flower R.C.
Little Flower won all three of its finals-stage matches, finishing with a victory over St. Benedict R.C.
The 2026 competition and protected-area visits were supported by IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas. TIDE also thanked the schools, coaches, families and participants who made the season possible.
BEYOND THE FINAL WHISTLE
From the volleyball court to the places we protect.
In May, the top two teams from each division visited Port Honduras Marine Reserve, discovering how Toledo’s rivers, communities and coastal ecosystems are connected.
Discovering the sea together · Saltwater Cup field trip, 2026.
ACHIEVEMENT, FOLLOWED BY DISCOVERY
A reward that opens a wider world.
The champions explored Punta Ycacos and viewed the reef from their boat at the West Snake Cayes. The runners-up swam, encountered bottlenose dolphins and chose to do a beach cleanup before returning home.
For the runners-up, TIDE’s education team explained how rivers such as Golden Stream and the Rio Grande connect mainland communities to the reserve. A sporting achievement became a direct encounter with the places conservation helps protect.
Support TIDE’s community work so that sport and environmental learning can continue to create opportunities for young people.
St. Benedict R.C.’s boys’ and girls’ teams swam at the West Snake Cayes, encountered bottlenose dolphins and stopped at Punta Ycacos. Before heading home, the students asked to do a quick beach cleanup.
A closer look at the reef · 2026Taking part in caring for the coast · 2026
WATCH THE 2026 STORIES
The people. Their own stories.
Join the champions and runners-up on their protected-area visits, then hear from the schools that brought the program to life. Seven films from TIDE’s Saltwater Cup 2026 playlist.
Select a film to watch here, or open it on YouTube. Playback starts when you choose a video.
THE PROGRAM IN PICTURES · 2026
On the court. Out in the community.
Meet the people behind the 2026 season. Explore match-day moments, school activities, nursery learning and field trips through TIDE’s photographs.
Showing 8 of 18 photos · 2026
VOLLEYBALL · 2026
Every point takes teamwork.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
A new view of the natural world.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
The joy of being part of it.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Caring for the places we visit.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Curiosity opens the door.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Seeing the reef up close.
VOLLEYBALL · 2026
Pride in taking part.
VOLLEYBALL · 2026
Ready for the next point.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
A shared moment of discovery.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Starting the adventure together.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Time together beyond the court.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
An opportunity to explore.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Learning as a group.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Small actions on a shared coast.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Part of the coastal story.
SCHOOL · 2026
Growing a connection to nature.
NURSERY · 2026
Learning, up close.
FIELD TRIPS · 2026
Learning to swim with Federico.
All program photographs in this gallery were taken in 2026 and supplied by TIDE. Select a photo to see it in full.
School activities from TIDE’s 2026 photo collection.
THE WORK STARTED BEFORE THE FIRST SERVE
Growing trees. Growing together.
In February, students at Indian Creek R.C. and Big Falls R.C. handed over seedlings they had grown as part of the Saltwater Cup. Their seeds came from family yards, farms, neighbours and the surrounding bush.
TIDE’s Native Plant Nursery would care for those seedlings, then return a different set of trees to the schools for planting when the rains returned. The exchange connected students’ own efforts with a wider restoration project.
A stronger community. A healthier coast. It starts with us.
Give to TIDE’s community work in southern Belize.
The 2026 program involved about 1,400 children in planting and 336 participants in volleyball, alongside nursery visits and school environmental sessions. Help TIDE continue opening doors to participation and discovery. A flexible gift lets TIDE direct resources where they are needed most.
MAKE YOUR SUPPORT COUNT
Back the people behind conservation.
Donate through TIDE’s established giving route with Philanthropic Ventures Foundation.
Choose Toledo Institute for Development and Environment as your designated fund.
Leave the further designation blank for flexible support, or name the community work you want to support.
Does my donation go directly to the Saltwater Cup?
The donation link supports TIDE through its fiscal depository. You can request a program designation on the giving form. For current Saltwater Cup funding needs and availability, contact TIDE before giving.
Where do the stories and figures come from?
TIDE supplied updated 2026 figures: about 1,400 children involved in planting, 336 volleyball participants from 12 schools, about 420 students visiting the nursery and about 700 students attending school environmental sessions. The wider program reached 14 schools. After collection, about 100 plants per school survived—around 1,400 plants across the 14 schools. Activity counts may overlap; they are not a combined total of individual children. Results, restoration activities and trip details come from TIDE’s original community updates, reproduced as full stories on this site and linked beside each report. The champions were Little Flower R.C. (boys) and Golden Stream G.S. (girls); St. Benedict R.C. finished runners-up in both divisions. All program photographs on this page were taken in 2026 and supplied by TIDE.
How did the Saltwater Cup begin?
TIDE’s 2013 annual report records the introduction of the Saltwater Cup in Monkey River, Punta Negra and Cattle Landing. Volleyball offered a way for smaller communities to connect sport and environmental projects. The main story on this page celebrates participation in 2026.
