Photo: Protect the Ocean © Courtesy of Kind Traveler (licensed via Shutterstock/Will Falcon)
By Jessica Blotter, CEO & Co-Founder of Kind Traveler
Originally developed in collaboration with Project AWARE (now known as the PADI AWARE Foundation)
Divers and travellers share a deep connection with the ocean. You can make a difference for ocean protection every time you dive, travel, and more.
1. BE A BUOYANCY EXPERT
Underwater plants and animals are more fragile than they appear. The swipe of a fin, the bump of your camera, or even a touch can destroy decades of coral growth, damage a plant, or harm an animal. Streamline your scuba and photo gear, keep your dive skills sharp, perfect your underwater photo techniques, and continue your dive training to fine-tune your skills. Always be aware of your body, dive gear, and photo equipment to avoid contact with the natural environment.
2. BE A ROLE MODEL
New scuba divers are being trained and certified every day. Regardless of your experience level, be sure to set a good example for others when interacting with the environment, while underwater and on land.
3. TAKE ONLY PHOTOS – LEAVE ONLY BUBBLES
Nearly everything natural found underwater is alive or will be used by a living creature. If you take a coral, shell or animal, you can disturb the delicate balance and add to the depletion of dive sites for future generations.
4. PROTECT UNDERWATER LIFE
Choose not to touch, feed, handle, chase, or ride anything underwater. Your actions may stress the animal, interrupt feeding and mating behaviour, or provoke aggressive behaviour. Understand and respect underwater life and follow all local laws and regulations.
The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.
5. BECOME A DEBRIS ACTIVIST
An astonishing amount of waste makes its way underwater, reaching even the most remote ocean areas. Once there, it kills wildlife, destroys habitats and threatens our health and economy. Don’t let your dives go to waste. Remove and report what doesn’t belong underwater every time you dive. Make a conscious effort to buy green, buy local, and when possible, buy less.
7. TAKE ACTION
Scuba divers are some of the strongest ocean advocates on the planet. Now, more than ever, divers like you are taking a stand. Speak out for conservation, share your underwater images, report environmental damage to authorities and campaign for change.
8. BE AN ECO-TRAVELLER
Make informed decisions when choosing and visiting a destination. Choose facilities dedicated to responsible social and environmental business practices that include water conservation, energy reduction, proper waste disposal, use of mooring buoys, and respect for local cultures, laws, and regulations.
Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.
9. SHRINK YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
Global warming and ocean acidification are putting your favourite animals and the whole planet at risk. Do your part by understanding and reducing your carbon footprint, and look for ways to offset what you can’t reduce.
10. GIVE BACK
Ocean protection depends on all of our actions, large and small. Investing in the ocean protects our planet and lets the dive adventure live on. Donate or fundraise for ocean protection to fuel the grassroots action and policy change necessary to ensure a clean, healthy ocean planet.
More Ways You Can Travel Kindly + Protect The Ocean:
- Avoid buying souvenirs that exploit marine life | (shark fins, teeth, etc.)
- Visit dive centres with eco-friendly business practices
- Never support restaurants that serve shark fin soup
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