Protecting the ocean is a major area of concern for PADI® Professionals. So why is only one of the six available conservation specialty courses (Peak Performance Buoyancy) among the most popular specialties?
“Students don’t ask for them,” may be the first answer that comes to mind, but this overlooks the fact that many people become divers because they’re fascinated by marine life and the underwater world. Every fish geek, photographer and ocean lover you know is a potential student.
If you already promote the AWARE Conservation courses, thank you! Thank you for supporting the conservation efforts of the PADI AWARE Foundation™ and empowering others to be ocean protectors.
For those who haven’t issued an AWARE certification in a while, read on to learn how PADI Instructors around the world use conservation courses as a competitive advantage. We’ll also share some of their best teaching tips. That said, the ideas in this article should not be considered a substitute for instructor training from a PADI Course Director.
PADI AWARE Specialist
The PADI AWARE Specialist course educates students about threats to the ocean and how participants can reduce their impact. Anyone can take this course, including non-divers.
“Most newbies don’t realise that they can get involved in conservation straight away. They assume it’s only something experienced divers can do,” said Nic Emery, PADI Course Director and co-founder of Fifth Point Diving Centre in Northumberland, UK.
The Fifth Point includes the AWARE course with its Open Water Diver training program. In addition to instilling a passion for ocean protection, the additional training gives them a competitive edge.
“If customers are presented with the same package from all their local dive centres, their buying decision will be based on price,” Emery said. “If you include awesome extras that are different from everyone around you, customers will choose the package that has the most value to them. Price is no longer the deciding factor. When you include a conservation course, you can charge more and create ocean advocates that will protect the underwater world and dive in an environmentally responsible way.”
Excel Scuba, a PADI 5 Star IDC Resort Excel Scuba in Tenerife, Spain, includes conservation courses with their PADI Divemaster internship program.
“We include the AWARE speciality courses so all our future Divemasters have a better understanding of some of the issues the ocean is facing and what we can do as divers to help,” said Michelle Holland, PADI Elite Master Instructor and Dive Centre Manager.
“As PADI Professionals, it’s important that we both understand and know how to reduce the impact we have on the ocean. A great way to achieve this is by taking the AWARE Speciality Courses and encouraging our students to do the same,” Holland added.
Teaching Tips
Holland recommends balancing the bad news with examples of positive change. “Although the AWARE courses are serious courses with some sad statistics, I encourage PADI Pros to try and make it fun and also mention that things are improving with bans on shark finning and the introduction of Hope Spots and MPAs,” she added.
Free Resources:
For Pros:
- Download the AWARE instructor guide and lesson guides
- Watch the video: How the AWARE Specialty can create a culture of ConEd and equipment sales (English)
For Students: PADI AWARE Our World, Our Water manual (free download)
Coral Reef Conservation
Most divers, snorkelers and freedivers have either visited or plan to visit a coral reef. The PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course helps them understand the complex and fragile nature of a coral reef and how to view a reef respectfully.
“Teaching divers and non-divers about coral reefs is beyond rewarding,” said Rena Hall, Director of Conservation at Silent World Dive Center, Florida Keys, USA. “Students’ faces light up when they understand how complex and beautiful corals are.”
Silent World Dive Center is located in Key Largo, home to the third-largest barrier reef in the world. The PADI 5 Star IDC partners with local organizations actively restoring the local reef and educates students about their programs during their Coral Reef Conservation course.
“We are dedicated to being an ocean steward and conservation supporter,” said Hall.
Teaching Tips
- Make the teaching presentation informal and interactive
- Adapt the course to the students and your local environment
- Reference sections from the AWARE – Our World, Our Water manual (free download)
- Include your local conservation efforts/partners
Dive Against Debris®
In the Dive Against Debris Specialty course, you turn students into citizen scientists who can #MakeEveryDiveCount. Participants learn how to retrieve marine debris responsibly and report their findings. Perhaps more importantly, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the global problem of marine debris and become stronger advocates for the ocean.
At Abyss Ocean World in Bali, Indonesia, students have recovered debris from as far away as the Americas and Europe.
“Students are often surprised by the types of pollutants they find and the great distances the debris has often travelled. The Dive Against Debris course makes the scope of the threat to our ocean planet more tangible.”
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Teaching Tips
The instructor team at Abyss Ocean World recommends the following: “Make sure your students don’t feel like glorified garbage pickers. Help them get the most out of the course by giving them a full-circle experience. Start with collecting debris, itemize and identify it, then end with a visit to a local waste management center. You could also show a video about how ocean pollution is threatening the local environment. This will enable your students to understand the global scale of ocean pollution and think critically about what they can do in their own environments and when travelling to minimize their impact and support local communities.”
Dive Against Debris isn’t just for certified divers. Students who hold a PADI Advanced Mermaid certification, PADI Freedivers™, and those with similar, qualifying certifications, may enroll in the Dive Against Debris specialty course.
Fish ID
One of the most common questions divers ask after a dive is, “what was that_______?” Followed by a description of a creature’s location, size and distinguishing characteristics.
As a dive professional, you likely take pride in knowing the answer. But there’s an overlooked opportunity here to help the diver get more out of every dive, by inviting them to enroll in the PADI Fish Identification Specialty course.
At Bocas Dive Center in Panama, all dive leaders complete their fish identification course. “Our divers enjoy a wealth of information about what they have seen underwater, and we always spend time helping them log what they saw on their dives,” said Kelly Paterson, Marketing Manager of Bocas Dive Center.
“This is when most of our clients become interested in the Fish Identification course. They see firsthand how it can enhance their diving experience,” Peterson added.
Teaching Tips
If your local area does not have a diverse fish population, consider running the course prior to an exotic dive trip to build excitement. If there is a responsibly-run aquarium near you, a class field trip may also be beneficial.
Paterson, who is also a PADI Master Instructor and Fish ID Specialty Instructor, shared these additional teaching tips:
- Spend time before the dive explaining the difference between bands and stripes and spots and blotches, and also cover how to use key markings such as fin and tail type
- Show students fish common to the area and explain how you identify them (e.g mutton snapper looks like a snapper and has a button on its side, which rhymes with “mutton”)
- Invite divers with the appropriate training and experience to photograph or video fish they do not know
- Provide time and plenty of space for students to draw fish after the dive
- Pull together fish identification guides to help students identify a fish they have drawn or filmed
Peak Performance Buoyancy (PPB)
“We regularly see divers that lack good buoyancy wreaking havoc on our local dive sites without even realizing they are doing it,” said Jay Clue, conservationist and founder of Dive Ninja Expeditions in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. “I feel it’s our duty as instructors to make an extra effort, help our students become better divers and eliminate that threat.”
As dive professionals, many of us can relate to this disapproving turtle. While some divers won’t admit to having bad buoyancy, many of them do want to improve their air consumption and feel more comfortable underwater.
“The PPB course gives us a chance to focus on helping students perfect their buoyancy and not only get better but also feel better in the water,” added Clue.
Dive Ninja Expeditions offers a “Ninja Level” training program that combines core PADI courses with complementary specialties. Their Dive Ninja Level 1 package includes: PADI Open Water Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy and AWARE Specialist.
“The idea was to give our students a more rounded approach to diver training,” explained Clue. “Help them become better divers as well as ambassadors to our oceans. With the additional in-water training, new divers get more time to practice their skills and buoyancy while also learning how they can help protect our oceans.”
Teaching Tips
“To get students in touch with how their breathing affects their buoyancy and control on a dive, I guide students along natural paths that take us up and down around a dive site,” Clue said. “I also run modified versions of skills I teach in technical diving workshops that help them grasp spatial awareness and buoyancy control on a more micro level.”
The video below features additional teaching tips from Greg McCracken, PADI Course Director and co-owner at Ocean Quest Dive Centre, British Columbia, Canada.
AWARE Shark Conservation
The purpose behind the AWARE Shark Conservation course is to raise awareness of the many threats to this misunderstood animal. Though many divers are already interested in sharks, the course gives them a greater understanding of the issues in addition to tools to take action for shark protection.
“Quite often students’ reaction is surprise, shock and disappointment when they discover the impact humans have and threats to shark populations,” said Matt Bolton, PADI Course Director and Marine Conservationist at PADI CDC Black Turtle Dive in Koh Tao, Thailand. “However, this can be mitigated by providing students with the necessary tools to become passionate shark defenders, enabling them to educate their families, friends and social groups within communities worldwide.”
Teaching Tips
Seeing a shark is not required for certification, but if you do have sharks in your area, Bolton recommends students, “observe and note behaviour, identify species and non-natural injuries whilst demonstrating and following responsible diving practices and minimising any environmental effects.”
- Nondivers may participate in independent learning and classroom presentations
- AWARE Shark Conservation can also be an Adventure Dive
“The updated course materials are an excellent resource for all professionals, enabling instructors to deliver the knowledge development in a comprehensive way,” Bolton added. “From a professional perspective, the more students that can be educated through the AWARE conservation programs, the more we can all do to help reduce and remove the stressors that are negatively affecting our marine life and ocean planet.”
Free Resources:
The AWARE Shark Conservation Specialty Instructor Guide, lesson guides and student materials are all available as a free download.
All Hands On Deck!
The ocean needs our help. As a PADI Professional, you have the opportunity to energize and inspire people who already care deeply about our blue planet to take action.
It’s going to take all of us to create change. Fortunately, the first step is easy.
All teaching-status PADI Assistant Instructors and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors are automatically eligible to issue AWARE Specialist and Coral Reef Conservation certifications and the teaching materials are available FREE on the PADI AWARE Online Teaching Hub. PADI Divemasters may also teach these courses following successful training with a PADI Course Director.
PADI Freediver Instructors and PADI Mermaid™ Instructors may qualify to teach AWARE Specialist, Coral Reef Conservation and Dive Against Debris by submitting a Freediver Specialty Course Instructor Application (form 10338) for the course(s) they wish to teach.
Additional resources are available from the AWARE Online Teaching Hub. The international PADI AWARE team is also available to answer questions and offer support. Contact [email protected].
Not currently teaching? No time to add additional classes? Sign up to Adopt the Blue™. Choose a dive site to protect and help drive marine protection globally. Plus, see your dive site and name displayed on the AWARE global map. Learn more or sign up to Adopt the Blue.
