Hello divers!
My name is Yvonne and I am the dive manager here at Purple Dive. Today I am taking over the blog to tell you about PADI AWARE 10 tips to protect the ocean.
Our oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, providing a home to countless species and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people. As responsible global citizens, divers, and ocean lovers, it is our duty to protect this precious ecosystem from harm.
PADI has outlined ten tips through its AWARE program to help us preserve and conserve our oceans for generations to come. I have listed them below with a few words on how we can all do our part to protect our oceans!
1. Be a Buoyancy Expert
Good buoyancy is a crucial skill for good divers, but also for eco-friendly ones! Avoid contact with marine life and their habitats, avoid touching corals, and make sure you keep your fins and hands to yourself! By doing so, we can all enjoy the wonderful marine life without doing it any harm.
2. Be a Role Model
As divers, we have a unique opportunity to inspire others to care for the oceans. Lead by example by promoting sustainable practices and responsible behavior both underwater and on land. Your actions can influence friends, family, and fellow divers to adopt eco-friendly habits and become ambassadors for ocean conservation.
3. Take Only Photos - Leave Only Bubbles
You should not pick anything from the ocean…but trash! Pretty much anything underwater is used, reused or feeds another creature. So you should refrain from picking up even debris or shells, and instead, just aim at leaving the dive site cleaner than you found it by picking up trash! If you want to
4. Protect Underwater Life
I always tell my diver students: how would you feel if someone walked into your home and start poking you? Extend the same respect to marine creatures. We are just visitors and we should not touch, harass or disturb them in any way.
5. Become a Debris Activist
All divers have probably already seen trash underwater. You can easily participate in or organize underwater clean-up events. But you can also make every day count and just pick up any trash you see during your dives.
If you want to participate further, you can take the Dive Against Debris specialty course to learn how to register your dives and help collect data about ocean trash.
6. Choose Sustainable Seafood
The choices we make on our plates can have a significant impact on ocean health. If you eat fish, then you can choose amongst the most sustainable options for your meals. This supports responsible fishing practices and encourages the recovery of vulnerable marine species. You will find plenty of documentation online about making good choices depending on where you live.
7. Take action
Conservation of resources is not limited to the oceans and everyone can take part. Divers are the best advocates for ocean protection. By sharing your photos, your actions and your concerns you can also get others involved!
8. Be an Eco Tourist
As consumers, we all have the power to decide where our money goes. Research the dive operators when you visit your next destination and choose one that takes action for the ocean! You can also ask about their practices regarding moorings, water recycling, waste disposal and such.
9. Shrink Your Carbon Footprint
Oceans are part of the global complex ecosystem of our planet and all is linked. You are also helping preserve the ocean by taking action on your carbon footprint.
10. Give back
Engage with and contribute to reputable ocean conservation organizations and initiatives. Whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading their message, your support can fuel vital research, advocacy, and on-ground projects aimed at preserving the oceans.
I hope this list has maybe given you some ideas on how to protect the oceans that we all love so much!
Here at Purple Dive, we have a few ways of doing that: of course we ask our divers to be respectful of the marine life and the reefs. We also recycle most of our water and avoid plastic around the dive shop as much as we can!
Finally, we are part of 1% for the Planet, so each time you come diving with us, 1% of your money goes directly towards environment protection!
Feel free to reach out to us for any other suggestions!