From 13–21 September, 2025, the global dive community united for the eighth annual AWARE Week, nine days dedicated to ocean conservation, citizen science and the collective power of divers to protect what we love most – the underwater world.
Whether this was your first AWARE Week or your eighth, this week was our moment to connect, take action and amplify the role divers play in safeguarding marine life and habitats. Across the globe, PADI Dive Centers, Resorts, Instructors and passionate divers organized activities that make a real difference – from Dive Against Debris dives and courses to coral restoration, manta and shark workshops and conservation quiz nights – proving that when our community comes together, change happens.
Why AWARE Week Matters
Every dive is an opportunity to protect the ocean. AWARE Week is more than just a date in the calendar. It empowers divers to:
- Act locally, make an impact globally – Each beach clean-up, citizen science dive and conservation workshop contributes to healthier oceans.
- Share knowledge and inspire others – By educating communities about ocean issues and threatened marine life, we grow the network of ocean advocates and torchbearers.
- Be part of the solution – From data collection to direct habitat restoration, divers are uniquely positioned to lead marine protection efforts.
This year, AWARE Week also shines a spotlight on PADI’s Conservation Activities Portal (CAP), your one-stop platform for finding and joining conservation events worldwide. Whether you’re looking to log a Dive Against Debris® survey or take part in the Adopt the Blue program, CAP makes it easier than ever to connect with conservation opportunities and report your impact.
Highlights From This Year
From Asia to the Americas, conservation events around the world took place during AWARE Week that rallied the Torchbearer Community together. Here’s a glimpse at some of the activities PADI Dive Centers, Resorts, Instructors and Regional Managers organized for AWARE Week 2025.
United States
Pompano Beach Pier Clean-Up – Florida
Hosted by Dixie Divers, this large-scale event drew local and visiting divers from across the US, as well as multiple dive shops, to remove debris from a popular pier site. This year, they had an incredible 373 participants for AWARE Week and collected an impressive 564 lbs/ 255kg of debris. Michelle Russell, CEO of DXDivers, concluded, “We love bringing divers together to help clean and protect our ocean! Our semi-annual DXDivers Clean-Ups remove hundreds of pounds of trash each year. AWARE Week is all about uniting the dive community worldwide for ocean conservation, taking local efforts and making a global impact. We believe that’s exactly what we are doing, and we remain committed to hosting these semi-annual cleanp-ups for many years to come. Come join us next year!” Kyle Ingram, PADI Regional Manager, joined the clean-up and said this about his favorite part of the event, “[It} was definitely that moment when divers surfaced together, bags full of trash and huge smiles on their faces. There’s just something about making a difference underwater with your dive buddies — removing debris, working as a team and knowing you’re leaving the ocean a little cleaner than you found it. That shared energy and pride is what made this year and every year unforgettable.”
Come Together Clean-Up – California
On 14 September, Regional Manager Annie Olszewski, several dive shops from Southern California and Bleu World came together for a big clean-up and Dive Against Debris event at Redondo Beach in California. Over 70 volunteers took to the beach and to the ocean to collect all sorts of trash, strengthening the community feel by doing something good for the environment. Everyone can get involved in conservation efforts, each doing a little bit, but together we can achieve something great.
Grenada
Dive Against Debris at a New Dive Site
Grenadian-owned PADI Dive Center Eco Dive, together with PADI Regional Manager Kristina Leadbeater and other participants, explored and cleaned up a new dive site in Grenada. After the Dive Against Debris, everyone got familiar with the new Conservation Action Portal from PADI AWARE Foundation to log all the collected trash, learned about PADI’s mission and enjoyed a nice lunch together.
Japan
Motosuko Keep Blue Fest 2025 – Lake Motosu, Yamanashi Prefecture
Divers, snorkelers and freedivers joined forces for beach and underwater clean-ups, equipment demo sessions and debris sorting at one of Japan’s most scenic altitude diving sites. An evening by the campfire, live performances and conservation-themed activities brought the community together after a day of action.
Underwater Forest Restoration Dive – Nishikawana, Chiba Prefecture
Participants took part in a unique coral algae removal project to restore rocky shore habitats affected by ocean desertification. “In recent years, the rocky shore ecosystem in Tateyama, Chiba, has been facing a serious problem known as isoyake (ocean desertification). While it’s often caused by overgrazing of sea urchins, in this area, the culprit is crustose coralline algae (CCA). In isoyake-affected sites, CCA blankets the seabed, preventing the spores of beneficial seaweeds from taking root,” said Zen Lim Sze Lynn, Sustainability Strategist in the PADI Asia Pacific Japan office. Working in teams with specialized tools, divers cleared crustose coralline algae to help beneficial seaweeds and marine life thrive once more.
Thailand
Quiz Night With a Conservation Focus – Koh Tao
The PADI Regional team organized a fun, interactive evening combining marine conservation trivia with awareness-raising about PADI AWARE initiatives in Koh Tao. Participants could win prizes for logging Dive Against Debris surveys and certifications, all through the new Conservation Activities Portal.
Egypt
Red Sea Tribe Dive Against Debris – Dahab
Red Sea Tribe Dive Center dedicated its weekly clean-up dive to PADI AWARE last week to celebrate AWARE Week. Eleven divers joined forces at Dahab’s Lighthouse area, removing one-and-a-half kilograms (three pounds) of debris, including 388 cigarette butts, plastic fragments and even discarded cable ties found in the seagrass. As always, the team carefully recorded and reported their findings to PADI AWARE, ensuring that local action in the Red Sea contributes to the global fight against marine debris. “We’re proud of our community of divers who turn up every week and make a difference. Together, we’re keeping Dahab’s reefs and seagrass meadows cleaner — one dive at a time,” explained the dive center team.
Maldives
A Week of Ocean Conservation Activities – Baa Atoll
“The first PADI AWARE Week at AVANI+ Fares in the Baa Atoll was a great success. By involving our hotel guests, we were able to contribute through various activities and raise more awareness for this fragile ecosystem. We’re already looking forward to 2026,” summarized Carmen Dressler, Director of Operations for Aquafanatics@Fares. The resort and dive center team organized a week of activities, together with Regional Manager Matt Wenger and PADI AmbassaDivers Madeline St. Clair and Nate Porter. Guests could join a desert island clean-up, Dive Against Debris, a coral conservation and restoration workshop or learn about (and dive with) mantas on World Manta Day. “Seeing the dedication of the dive center team, resort guests and all participants was very special,” remembered Maren Robinson, Global Marketing & Communications Manager for the PADI Environment & Sustainability Team. “The island clean-up was the first event of the week, and everyone bonded over it. What looked like the tip of a blue plastic bucket in the sand, found by three-year-old Ethan, the youngest of volunteers, ended up being a mass of extremely heavy ghost nets that required teamwork and stamina from everyone to dig them out of the sand. It is so powerful to see what can be achieved when everyone comes together, young or old – and all of this in the name of ocean conservation.”
Germany
Dive Against Debris at Lake Laupheim – Ulm
Divers at Lake Laupheim came together for a Dive Against Debris on World Clean-Up Day, combining community spirit with environmental action. Like every year, Dive Center DiveXellence participatesdin AWARE Week by cleaning up and giving back to the environment, rallying their divers together for a good cause. “PADI AWARE Week and World Clean-Up Day mean a lot to me because they draw attention to environmental issues and show that diving is more than just bubbles or equipment — it’s about protecting our oceans, waterways and the life within them,” explained PADI Instructor Meike Krom. “These events give me the chance to actively contribute to environmental protection while inspiring others to act in the same spirit.”
Switzerland
Presentations and Clean-Up Day – Zurich
As part of PADI AWARE Week, TSK Zurich hosted a special AWARE Night on 18 September, featuring the PADI AWARE Specialty course taught by Lucia Martinović, head of Dive Center TSK Zurich, and their summer Divemaster intern. Guests also enjoyed inspiring presentations, including a local talk on “Switzerland and Ocean Conservation” followed by open discussions on protecting our blue planet. During the evening, they rallied more volunteers together for their event on World Clean-Up Day.
Lucia Martinović proudly told us, “Sustainable diving and environmental awareness are guiding principles of our dive school, and we make sure every student takes them with them on their journey. For us, PADI AWARE is an essential partner, providing valuable tools and a strong community that help us train responsible divers.”
Looking Ahead: The Shark & Ray Petition and Census
While we celebrate AWARE Week once a year, conservation actions and awareness throughout the year are crucial, and we count on your support. As you may know, a lot is happening with the protection of sharks and rays in the coming months.
From 1-21 November, PADI AWARE is launching a global petition calling for stronger protections for whale sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks and manta rays through CITES. The aim is to get 20,000 signatures in the three weeks leading up to CITES. This is where PADI Members, as trusted ocean leaders and Torchbearers, can make a real impact. We’re asking you to do what you do best – engage divers, raise awareness and inspire action.
We are also gearing up for a landmark citizen science initiative, the Shark & Ray Census, launching in the next few months. This global effort will unite divers, ocean lovers, scientists and conservation partners to gather critical data on shark and ray populations, helping inform protections for these vulnerable species.
