The International Pacific Marine Educators Network (IPMEN) originated from international collaboration between members of the U.S.-based National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) and the Marine Education Society of Australasia (MESA). The idea for IPMEN began with an informal breakfast meeting during the 2000 NMEA conference in Long Beach, California. This was followed by a two-day forum, the One Ocean Marine Forum (OOMF), held in July 2005 on Maui, Hawaii. The goal of OOMF was to establish a global network of marine educators to share knowledge, expertise, and resources to address ocean environmental issues. At the meeting, it was decided to pilot this concept by first forming a network of marine educators and scientists in the Pacific region.

In 2007, the first International Pacific Marine Educators Conference (IPMEC) was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, bringing together over 100 educators, scientists, and community leaders from 18 Pacific nations and territories. This gathering led to the official establishment of IPMEN. Since then, IPMEN members have met every two years in various locations across the Pacific：