In a recent survey (August 2022) of 2400 divers:

95% think dive operators should be doing more to protect the reef
83% said they want education about marine life protection – while on vacation
and 76% are willing to pay more for sustainability

Good news, right?…Right?

Some salty readers out there may view the statistics above with suspicion. Will divers actually pay more? Do they truly want to take conservation classes? Or do they just say that in surveys?

According to the first PADI® Eco Centers, those survey responses are accurate. These dive operations put ocean protection at the heart of their business and, as a result, have attracted new customers who care more about sustainability than price and invest time and money on eco-education.

From Spain to Indonesia, Mexico to the Red Sea, Philippines to Florida and up to the UK, eco-friendly dive centers are thriving (as are the reefs surrounding them). To prove the point, we’re sharing direct feedback from the owners and managers of a handful of the first PADI Eco Centers including:

Their motivation to become a PADI Eco Center
Surprising things that happened along the way 
Their advice for other dive shop owners and managers

For those short on time, a short summary of their responses is included at the beginning of every section. You can also skip directly to the How to Become a PADI Eco Center and the What Changes Will I Have To Make sections.

Why did you become a PADI Eco Center?

Summary: All of the owners and managers we spoke to expressed a profound passion for environmental protection. Below are a few examples of the replies received.

Sharifah, PADI Instructor and owner of Sea Voice Divers, Perhentian Island Malaysia
Being a PADI Eco Center sets us apart from the rest. It demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and ocean conservation. We take proactive measures to protect and conserve the environment around us. We are also constantly working towards reducing our environmental footprint and implementing sustainable practices in our daily operations. As a PADI Eco Center, we can leverage the positive brand image, reach more people and expand our mission. 

Michelle Holland PADI Elite Master Instructor and Dive Centre Manager at Excel Scuba Tenerife, Spain
We shifted our core focus to environmental and conservation issues because we care and, as dive professionals, we feel it’s our duty to educate and preserve the oceans for future generations of divers to enjoy.

Nic Emery, PADI Course Director and co-founder of Fifth Point Diving Centre
Protecting the ocean is at the heart of everything we do as a dive centre. When we found out about Green Fins digital membership and then the PADI Eco Center, we jumped straight on board because it made everything we were working towards more official.

Sarah O’Gorman, Sales & Marketing Manager at Red Sea Diving Safari
When we heard that PADI was launching the Eco Center program it was really important to us to be a part of it. We have worked hard on minimising our environmental impact and focussing on a sustainable tourism model since we started over 30 years ago. We have three PADI 5* resorts and our guests understand and respect PADI as an organisation, so we knew that the influence of having the PADI name behind an environmental program and recognition would send a clear message to our guests, which will in turn have a strong impact on the environment.

Has an eco-focus helped you grow your business and attract new divers?

Summary: Eco Centers widely report an increase in new, loyal customers due to a sea change in what divers want. Some of the resorts said social media shares of their eco-activities helped them reach new, like-minded customers. 

Robert Scales, co-founder of Ceningan Divers
Conservation was not a business growth strategy for us, it was simply part of our business model. However, our commitment to our ocean planet and our various initiatives and awards have brought us attention and recognition. These things can help secure a reservation when divers seek a more sustainable operation for their next dive vacation. 

Jay Clue, Pro Photographer and Founder of Dive Ninja Expeditions, Mexico
Increasingly, guests care less and less about the cheapest tour and more about the sustainability and environmental impact of the dive operator. They understand doing things the right way costs more, but they want their hard-earned paycheck to support something that helps protect the ocean they love so much. Not only that, they want to get involved, they want to make a difference, and this is beautiful.

Abdel Salam Awad, PADI Instructor and Founder of Circle Divers, Egypt
On social media, we tell people about the ongoing cleanup activities we do on both land and sea. We’ve had divers come to us because they see our posts and they want to dive with a conscientious and caring dive centre. 

Being a Green Fins Dive Centre helped us attract new business and recently gave us the opportunity to be involved with Mission Blue and The Ocean Agency during COP 27.

Michelle Holland, Excel Scuba Tenerife
We seem to be attracting a new demographic with the same passions and feelings that we do, most likely because of our social media coverage.

Rena Hall, Director of Conservation at Silent World Dive Center, USA
More often than you’d think, travelers want to make an impact on the community they are visiting. They travel to have fun, but they also want to learn something they wouldn’t have the opportunity to at home. Both divers and snorkelers are excited about the opportunities we offer: Fish ID classes, scientific diving, conducting coral restoration work, and more!

Sharifah, Sea Voice Divers
More and more divers today prefer eco-friendly dive centers and actively volunteer in our monthly conservation activities. This has in turn made a positive impact on our business and customer flow.

Magnus M. Nielsen, Manager and PADI Instructor at Bongo Bongo Divers, Philippines
A lot of people are looking for responsible dive operations that are taking the environment more seriously. Exposure on the Green Fins website has given us loads of bookings and made us many new friends from around the world. Luckily, being more green seems to be trending more and more, which obviously benefits the dive centers that are actively taking more time for conservation efforts. 

Helping out researchers, collaborating with several NGOs that are into conservation and actively helping the world to become a better place naturally gives you exposure and credit that will be shared online – or through good old word of mouth. It also seems to attract more divemaster trainees and instructor candidates to our dive center.

Sarah O’Gorman, Red Sea Diving Safari
Not only do we have a moral responsibility to implement conservation practices in our businesses (if we don’t educate people how to protect the environment, we won’t have pristine reefs for much longer), it also makes business sense. Conservation is becoming more and more important to customers across the world. Divers see incredible, untouched reef scenes on TV documentaries and that is what they want to experience. They choose destinations which protect the environment because a protected environment provides the experience they want. 

Divers also want to learn about the underwater ecosystem and how they can give something back. Conservation courses and activities help them engage with the environment and meet like-minded people. It widens the customer base and brings customers back again and again.

Nic Emery, Fifth Point Diving Centre
We’ve found our niche. We’re the dive centre that protects the ocean. Once you have a niche, you start to find your people and everything snowballs. Literally everything in our business revolves around marine conservation and it attracts a certain type of diver. 

When you know what your business does and your type of customer, it makes marketing so much simpler, you’re no longer competing on price because you offer something radically different and the business will grow.

Does a commitment to conservation help retain staff?

Summary: A demonstrated commitment to protecting the local environment improves staff retention. Many described how their team takes pride in this element of the business.

Sarah O’Gorman, Red Sea Diving Safari
Without a doubt, being an eco-friendly business helps us attract the best staff and keep them for longer. People become personally invested in the business and the location when they see that the organisation cares and makes a difference. 

Due to the efforts we have made in environmental protection over the years, our reefs are in great condition which leads to a superior guest experience and the positive feedback comes directly to our dive guides and instructors, which is incredibly rewarding for them.

Our team is truly committed to environmental protection. For them, it’s more than just a job.

Matt Reed, co-owner Evolution Diving, Philippines
We believe that our proactive approach to conservation has helped us to keep high-quality staff who believe in the same philosophies as us. Most industry professionals realise that conservation is a must for us to keep our jobs!

Sharifah, Sea Voice Divers
We are retaining and attracting good talent based on our green policies and positive brand image. Our team is made up of like-minded eco warriors who share our values and are passionate about conservation. 

Robert Scales, Ceningan Divers 
Our team is highly-motivated and takes great pride in knowing they are trained to follow the highest code of conduct in the industry. We go above and beyond with weekly workshops, training, certification programs, etc. We believe this investment in our employees and team has earned us a great reputation and allowed us to retain our team – who share the pride of being part of our success story. 

Magnus M. Nielsen, Bongo Bongo Divers
It isn’t a secret that, at dive businesses around the world, staff changes frequently. Our eco-education hub mixed with the PADI Professional programs and being surrounded by nice and passionate people makes staff want to stay longer. It also makes a lot of them want to come back after trying to work elsewhere.

Personally, I never think of Bongo Bongo Divers as a place where I work. It’s a place where I have lived and spent my time engaged in things I love doing. This seems to be the way to go.

Did you experience any challenges or surprises?

Summary: A few of the Eco Centers in resort areas had challenges recycling due to a lack of local infrastructure. Pleasant surprises were also reported, such as guests helping out with cleaning and maintenance. Two dive centers described how the extra effort to make an eco-friendly choice paid off in the long term.  

Abdel Salam Awad, Circle Divers
Our biggest challenge is that we’re in an environment where tap water is not drinkable, so the only option is plastic water bottles. I could be wrong, but I think it is cheaper to make new bottles than to recycle them. In a country where the average salary is extremely low, every penny saved goes to feeding a family. Buying a more expensive brand just because it’s recyclable is not likely to become mainstream.

There is no recycling plant in Sharm, but they do then move some waste products to other areas to be recycled. We do our bit by separating the waste as much as we can, so when it is taken by the council it is easier for them to sort. I believe Egypt is trying to change and planning to build four waste sorting stations in the Sinai Governate along with others on the mainland of Egypt. The future is looking brighter for Egypt!

Sharifah, Sea Voice Divers 
The biggest challenge we had to overcome was finding storage space for plastic and aluminium waste before it could be transported to the mainland for recycling. Also, eco-friendly detergents and disinfectants are not easily available at local stores. We must order them online and have them shipped, which adds a significant cost to our day-to-day operations. 

Ara Livia Ardis, Environment Officer at AquaMarine Diving, Bali 
Our guests join the AquaMarine Bali dive team for cleaning, maintenance, surveying and participate in our coral restoration project.

Sarah O’Gorman, Red Sea Diving Safari 
In Egypt, the biggest challenge tends to be access to technology and cost. It sometimes takes longer for the latest technologies to reach us and there are more barriers and costs involved in importing technology and equipment from outside the country. Thankfully we have been able to partner up with great companies to help us.

In recent years, we have made changes to reduce our impact, such as eliminating single-use plastic, changing our speedboat engines over to 4-stroke and developing a farm so we can feed guests with our own produce. We also switched to solar energy and installed a new, solar-powered water desalination plant using the latest reserve-osmosis technology.

Magnus M. Nielsen, Bongo Bongo Divers
Making the environment part of Bongo Bongo Divers’ DNA was hard at first, but it has made our decisions easier as we expanded. In some instances, a commitment to the smallest possible eco-footprint benefited our business. For example, when we built our boat back in 2017 we were the first to have a closed septic tank for toilet waste. A few years later, a closed tank was required by local law. The ocean-friendly choice we made in the beginning saved us from having to rebuild our boat’s toilet and fit in a septic tank underneath.

Matt Reed, co-owner Evolution 
Diver behaviour has always been and will always be, hard to correct. Some people are sensitive about their skills. They don’t like to be told they were kicking the coral and could have better buoyancy. We had to find ways to communicate effectively without creating bad feelings. One way is for staff members to lead by example, with exemplary buoyancy skills.

David Joyce, co-owner Evolution
Very early on we realised it can be hard for local DMs to discuss buoyancy with our guests (it’s a cultural issue). So we devised a visual aid (see below) that has been a permanent fixture beside our dive board for 12 years. 

Every day our guides go over the board with everyone including new divers, AOW students, instructors, even people who dived with us yesterday and the day before. Green Fins actually adopted this board for their members on the island so it was replicated up and down the beach. We hope it transcends language barriers. 

As Matt mentioned, all our dive team have effortless and exemplary buoyancy. This is noticed by guests and it has influenced other guides on the island. Not all, but some.

NOTE: Studies show:

70% of divers contact the reef while diving 
36% are unaware that they did so. 
Contact is most likely to happen in the first 20 minutes of the dive

Promoting responsible behavior is one of the most effective ways to reduce damage to the underwater environment. 

How to Become a PADI Eco Center

PADI Eco Centers must demonstrate an exemplary level of commitment to protecting the environment above and below the water. Here are the minimum requirements:

Teach PADI AWARE courses and create opportunities for fins-on conservation
Participate in the Adopt the Blue program (FAQ)
Be an active Green Fins Member
Work to improve their (confidential) Green Fins score by taking action to reduce their environmental footprint

Operators should plan on at least 12 months to become a PADI Eco Center.

What Operations Should Not Apply To Be PADI Eco-Centers?

Nic Emery, Fifth Point Diving Centre
If protecting the ocean isn’t something you’re passionate about, and there’s no one on your team with the spark for conservation, don’t try and shoehorn it in. That’s verging on greenwashing and your divers will smell it a mile off!

As Ara Livia Ardis, AquaMarine Diving Bali
Unfortunately, eco-awareness doesn’t naturally develop; it’s not a one-day program nor is it a one-person show.

What is Adopt the Blue?

Adopt the Blue is the world’s largest network of diver-led underwater sites for conservation. PADI AWARE is dedicated to creating opportunities for dive operators to take local action for global impact, tackling five major ocean challenges: shark and rays, marine debris, coral restoration, climate change and habitat loss.

Head to adopttheblue.org to learn more about the network and view the global map. To join is free and takes 10 minutes on the PADI AWARE App.

You can adopt any of your local dive sites and in doing so, you are letting PADI AWARE:

Know that this dive site is important
Understand your ecosystem and local conservation challenges
Suggest appropriate conservation actions for your business (courses, citizen science, grant funding)
Identify new regions for localized policy campaigns, working with you to establish new marine protected areas and regulations to protect the foundation of your business
Promote you on the global map as destination for marine conservation

What is Green Fins?

Green Fins is an initiative developed by PADI’s Partners The Reef-World Foundation in association with the UN Environment Programme to create a sustainable diving and snorkeling industry. To become a Green Fins member, you must agree to follow the Green Fins Code of Conduct. 

How many of these best practices do you already adhere to? For a more detailed explanation of Green Fins’ code of conduct, watch this four-minute video or peruse this playlist.

Learn more about Green Fins membership
View a list of current Green Fins members
Read our FAQ about Green Fins (please scroll to bottom of page)

Dive Shop Owners and Managers Share Their Experience with Green Fins

Summary: PADI Eco Center owners and managers universally praised Green Fins. Highlights include the global community and educational materials for divers and dive staff. Green Fins’ digital platform was described as “user-friendly,” “ridiculously simple” and “impressive.”

Watch example Green Fins How to Videos including:

How to give an environmental briefing
Guiding divers toward environmental best practices
How to manage underwater photographers
Environmentally-friendly cleaning tips
Alternatives to anchoring
Good garbage management practices

Sarah O’Gorman, Red Sea Diving Safari
The Green Fins program provides clear and consistent guidelines for our diving operation and our team, which are easy to understand and implement. The practices can easily become part of the everyday work of the team without having to make huge operational changes or going to large expense.

Rena Hall, Silent World Dive Center
The Green Fins platform has allowed us to collaborate with dive shops and divers globally. Being able to share the challenges and progression of our small family-owned shop has made us feel like part of a bigger community. 

The Green Fins Dive Guide E-Course is part of our staff training and we encourage our guests to check out the Diver E-Course too! Some of our guests have never seen the ocean before. With Green Fins’ program resources, we can prepare them for the fun adventure they are about to experience. 

Michelle Holland, Excel Scuba Tenerife
Green Fins’ materials explain the do’s and don’ts in a simple format and the community hub is a great way of connecting with other like-minded people and brainstorming new ideas globally.

Its user-friendly app helps even dinosaurs like me keep on track!

Jay Clue, Dive Ninja Expeditions
Green Fins’ new digital platform brings their wealth of experience and resources right to your door no matter where in the world you are. It also makes analyzing your current practices and creating an action plan to improve — ridiculously simple. I wish I had tools like this five years ago.

Matt Reed, Evolution 
We are very happy to be a longtime Green Fins member. Their materials make it easy to visually explain to divers how to behave and what is or is not allowed. They also come to assess our business and give us constructive feedback on how to lessen our impact on the environment. Having been in Green Fins’ top ten for years and number one several times (including currently), we’ve seen great interest from guests, and people book with us due to this.

Nic Emery, Fifth Point Diving Centre
We’d love an assessor to visit one day like they do in the Green Fins regions, but the digital system is equally as impressive. Having action plan points set out keeps you on track and if I ever get stuck, there’s a bank of resources and a whole community to call on. 

Magnus M. Nielsen, Bongo Bongo Divers

What changes will we have to make to become an Eco Center?

Recognition is based on your involvement with PADI AWARE courses and conservation programs, alongside your confidential Green Fins score (indicator of low environmental impact). This means that the list of actions that you take, may be slightly different from another PADI Dive Center.

To give you an idea of initiatives you may choose to implement, below is a list of activities and policies most PADI Eco Centers have in place. How many of these things are you doing already?

Teach PADI AWARE conservation courses
Eliminate all single-use plastics
Provide water in reusable bottles or cups
Implement a “zero tolerance” policy for touching or disrespecting marine life
Eco-briefings and awareness posters displayed in store and on boats
Supply reef-safe sunscreen and explain why divers should use it
Provide recycle bins (if a recycling program exists in the area)
Conduct Dive Against Debris® and beach clean-ups
Staff leads by example – picking up trash, excellent buoyancy skills

For some dive operations, the biggest change may be offering more conservation courses and activities. The first PADI Eco Centers approach this requirement in a few different ways.

#1 Course Bundling

Both The Fifth Point Diving Centre in the UK and Dive Ninja Expeditions in Mexico include AWARE courses in their Open Water and Advanced packages. At Fifth Point, AWARE courses are included with their standard package. At Dive Ninja, students can choose between the standard OW/AOW course or their Dive Ninja Level 1/Level 2 package with additional training.

If you’re new to teaching conservation courses or course bundling, these articles may be useful:

Conservation Course Teaching Tips and Free Resources
How I Went From 80% Open Water Certs to 78% Specialty Certs in Approx. One Year

#2 Dive Against Debris

All PADI Eco Centers conduct regular cleanups as part of the Adopt the Blue program. Offering the Dive Against Debris specialty (now available online through PADI eLearning®) is the perfect way for divers to take part in ocean conservation and eco-education.

#3 Unique Experiences and Distinctive Specialties

Jay Clue, Dive Ninja Expeditions
Our most popular PADI AWARE conservation courses are Whale Defender, Shark Conservation and Dive Against Debris. Whale Defender is a PADI Distinctive Specialty we created to help divers and nondivers alike learn more about the gentle giants that visit our waters and how they play such a critical role in the health of our planet. 

We host a multitude of conservation activities as well. From shorter events such as our monthly Dive Against Debris dives, marine life census data collection, or sea turtle releases with local scientists, to the multi-day citizen science expeditions Dive Ninja was founded on. This includes projects like our Mobula Ray Aggregation, Striped Marlin, Grey Whales, and Gentle Giants expeditions. 

Robert Scales, Ceningan Divers
In April 2020 we set up an online conservation training centre where we offer a series of nine workshops on conservation and marine life. We also offer the PADI AWARE courses and have an eco internship program.

Advice and Inspiring Words From the First Eco Centers

Magnus M. Nielsen, Bongo Bongo Divers
Running a dive center puts you on the front lines, you’re a protector of the reefs. When you’re in the very center of nature, it’s important to make your fingerprints as small as possible. In a perfect world, the reefs would benefit from dive tourism rather than lose. 

Nic Emery, Fifth Point Diving Centre
There’s always a good time to start protecting the ocean. After all, without healthy oceans, we’re all out of jobs! From a business point of view, there’s so much data pointing to consumers caring more and more about the environment and sustainability, this could give you the edge over your dive centre neighbours. In my eyes, it’s a win-win situation so it’s a great time to get involved.

Ara Livia Ardis, AquaMarine Diving Bali
For AquaMarine Diving Bali, becoming a PADI Eco Center was not an option, it was a must. Our long-term vision for our business is to be as sustainable as possible, to be an ocean ambassador, not only for humans but for the planet. 

Conservation should be a fundamental part of a dive business anyway. As the wave of eco-awareness grows, particularly within the scuba diving industry, any dive company not seen to be doing their part will get left behind.

Jay Clue, Dive Ninja Expeditions
Right now, conserving and protecting our planet’s waterways is front and center in the public eye. It opens up a world of opportunities that probably don’t exist in any other industry. 

Divers want more, so why shouldn’t we step up to give them what they want and build new connections and relationships with our guests? Customers crave the knowledge that dive professionals passionately want to share, like how they can help sharks or why local reefs are changing. 

Think about it for a second. You can protect your local ecosystems while also being successful in your business, and in doing so secure the longevity of your business by helping create even better dive experiences for the future… of your business.

Ready to become a PADI Eco Center? Email information@padiaware.org to get started with Adopt the Blue, courses and conservation opportunities. Please contact info@greenfins.net for questions about their programs and membership.

Related Reading

How to Become a Green Fins Dive Pro
Why Become a PADI Eco Center?
3 Reasons to Create a Sustainability Team at Your Dive Shop

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