In November 2019, PADI announced its new mission to create a billion Torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean.

As Drew recognised at DEMA 2020, the time has come to develop our collective passion for adventure into a deep desire to save that which has given us so much.

“It is our time to define ourselves as good ancestors now, to define our legacy as both explorers and stewards of the Ocean and her health.”

– Drew Richardson, PADI President and CEO.

Together as the world’s largest ever network of dive professionals, we have a collective choice to lead the effort to restore ocean health by serving as role models for others. Despite the challenges facing people and planet – be they overfishing, plastic pollution, climate change or habitat loss – we choose to remain optimistic, choosing hope and choosing to double down on our commitment to achieve our preferred view of the world, where humanity and the ocean co-exist in a healthy balance.

PADI is a membership of Torchbearers. Our logo is a symbol for bold leadership and strength. A diver on a blue planet bears a torch, illuminating the way, serving as a prophecy for our collective responsibility as stewards to the ocean. By taking up the torch for the ocean and asking your divers and your local communities to join you in standing up for the ocean, you will make an incalculable difference to both people and planet.

If you haven’t already, please make the commitment to be a PADI Torchbearer by signing up at padi.com/onebillion.

What is a Torchbearer?

A Torchbearer is someone – anyone – who cares deeply about healing the planet, above and below the surface. Someone who believes there is a better and more responsible way for humanity to live in balance with nature, and is ready to take action to prove it.

The Torchbearer 5

The Torchbearer Movement will be guided by the Torchbearer 5: a framework of community goals that will guide our actions now and in the days to come, ensuring our individual contributions play into a wider movement that will ultimately turn the dial towards a healthy future for people and planet.

Community Goal 1: Stand Up For The Ocean

We will speak up and use our voices to drive positive change. We will lend our support to environmental campaigns, sign petitions, attend key events, write to our representatives and engage in conversation with our local communities. As the world moves forward, we will continue to be the ever-louder voice of the ocean.

Community Goal 2: Assume Responsibility

We will take direct responsibility for ocean health and act as stewards for the places we love, both above and below the surface. We are driven by the common understanding that all life on Earth is connected and that our actions have a direct impact on the natural world. We will serve as role models in our communities and amplify the movement for the betterment of people and planet.

Community Goal 3: Dive With A Purpose

We recognize that every dive is an opportunity to collect vital data that can be used to create future protection measures for the ocean.  We will participate in conservation programs and contribute to citizen science through activities that preserve underwater habitats and biodiversity vital to human and planetary health, helping the local communities where we dive. 

Community Goal 4: Reduce Our Carbon Footprint  

We will restore balance by reducing our own carbon emissions at work and at home. We will help the ocean and coastal communities manage the effects of human-induced climate change by working with key partners to recover and protect seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and salt marshes.

Community Goal 5 – Make Sustainable Choices        

We will reject single-use plastic, support genuine eco travel and voluntourism, make sustainable food choices, dive with eco-friendly operators when possible, and support businesses that are taking an innovative approach to sustainability. Our example will influence those around us, paving the way for systemic change.

Learn more about the Torchbearer 5 and how you can get take action at padi.com/conservation.

The PADI Torchbearer Community Hub

The power of the Torchbearer community lies in our ability to mobilize as many people as possible to take focused and measurable action. All Torchbearers are invited to the PADI Torchbearer Facebook Group page where they can engage with other like-minded community members, hear from experts and leaders like you, and learn what they can do to be part of the solution.

To join the group, simply sign up as a Torchbearer and the group invite will arrive in your inbox within minutes.

Your leadership is needed now more than ever.

To make a real difference, it will take all of us. As the saying goes, “We don’t need one person doing it perfectly, we need everyone doing it imperfectly”.

When we choose to come together, united under one clear mission to save the ocean, there’s no limits to what we can achieve.

Therefore, as PADI Members, your example and leadership is critical in growing this community of ocean advocates.

That means:

• It’s our duty to connect with our divers, instil hope and invite them to become a Torchbearer to explore and protect the ocean at padi.com/onebillion
• It’s our responsibility as leaders to set an example, implementing practical eco-alternatives in our lives and businesses, inspiring others to do the same
• Most importantly, it’s our legacy as dive professionals to ensure that every Torchbearer believes that they have an essential role to play in the movement to save the ocean, through both behavioural changes and collective action (because they do!)

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to diving, people and planet.

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