About the Founder

Why Second Tide started.

About the Founder

Built from something I couldn’t ignore.

Second Tide didn’t start as a business.

Second Tide was founded by Cuatro Hillis in February 2026 after the idea began through a social entrepreneurship class, a love for the ocean, and time spent at Island School.

It started as something I saw once… and then started seeing everywhere.

The beginning

I didn’t think much of it at the time.

I was 16. Alone on a 48-hour solo during a kayak expedition at The Island School in Cape Eleuthera.

I built a hammock out of fishing lines, rope, and nets I found within arm’s reach.

It worked. That’s all I cared about.

Looking back, that’s what stuck with me — how much of it there was.

The realization

Then I started seeing it everywhere.

Jamaica. Other coastlines. Places I had been going my whole life.

Once you see it, you don’t stop seeing it.

Ghost gear isn’t rare. It’s constant.

Why I’m doing this

I grew up around the ocean.

Surfing. Diving. Traveling.

Being near the water has always been part of my life.

Most people see the ocean as something to use.

I see it as something that sustains life.

Ghost gear doesn’t just sit there. It can keep drifting, entangling marine life, and causing harm long after people stop paying attention.

70+
Founders Tees sold
Early
Stage startup

The belief

This started with awareness.

Second Tide exists to raise awareness about ghost gear while building toward a future circular model for recovered materials.

Second Tide started in a social entrepreneurship class.

But it doesn’t belong in a classroom.

It’s early. But it’s real.

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