In 2026, PADI celebrates its 60th anniversary — a milestone that offers a moment to reflect on the organization’s history as well as its vision for the future. For much of these six decades, PADI has been recognized as the way the world learns to dive. Yet at its core, diving has always represented something more: a connection to the ocean that inspires exploration, curiosity and a sense of responsibility.
How a Turning Point Reshaped Our Mission
Just before our 50th anniversary, PADI redefined that connection. We expanded our mission to safeguard the future of the ocean and set out to build a global community of one billion Torchbearers and ocean advocates ready to explore and protect the underwater world. Alongside that commitment came a new tagline that still guides everything we do today: Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.℠
That decision shaped the entire past decade. It strengthened the sustainability of our brand, helped future-proof the dive industry, opened access for more people to experience the ocean and deepened the purpose of diving itself, shifting it from a personal passion into a collective force for good.
Conservation in PADI’s DNA
From the beginning, exploration and protection have always been two sides of the same coin at PADI. Over the decades, we’ve adapted to what the world — and the ocean — needed most. Through professionalism, innovation and the power of community, PADI has grown from the world’s most robust diver training agency into a global movement working to create lasting ocean change.
The PADI Pillars of Change
In 2016, PADI introduced the Pillars of Change, our first environmental and social framework. These pillars are more than commitments — they are our promise to divers, industry partners and the communities who depend on a healthy ocean.
Through the pillars of Ocean Conservation, Dive Industry Sustainability and People and Humanity, we aim to:
- Lead marine conservation efforts and inspire others to join
- Ensure the dive industry thrives for future generations
- Support communities and champion inclusivity
A Legacy of Ocean Action
More than 30 years ago, PADI helped establish the Project AWARE Foundation. In 2021, PADI and PADI AWARE® formally aligned under the PADI umbrella, creating a unified mission and enabling the development of the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action. This blueprint empowers divers, dive centers and resorts to tackle the greatest challenges facing the ocean through education, advocacy and citizen science.
Dive Against Debris
Through our Dive Against Debris® program, divers have created the world’s largest underwater marine debris database. More than 2.56 million pieces of debris have been logged, and data collected by volunteers has helped over 41.4 thousand marine animals avoid entanglement. These findings inform global policies and drive local changes from improved coastal management to reductions in single-use plastics.
Adopt the Blue
With over 3,300 sites, Adopt the Blue™ is the world’s largest network of marine locations actively protected by divers. Each site represents collaboration between dive operators, local communities and authorities who work together to safeguard the ecosystems they rely on. Blancpain is the founding partner of the PADI MPA Program and Adopt the Blue™.
Global Shark and Ray Census
In 2026, we will launch the Global Shark and Ray Census the first citizen-science census of its kind. Built on diver participation and scientific rigor, this effort will map populations and habitats at a global scale to inform protections for some of the ocean’s most threatened wildlife.
Across all these programs, one truth is clear: the ocean can recover if we give it the chance, and divers are uniquely equipped to help make that happen.
A Broader Social Mission
Our environmental work is matched by an equally strong social mission. Conservation is most effective when it is inclusive, and PADI’s commitment to protecting the ocean is inseparable from the people who explore it.
PADI Women’s Dive Day
Now in its 12th year, PADI Women’s Dive Day has become the world’s largest single-day diving event. With participants across more than 100 countries, the event breaks down barriers, builds confidence and celebrates the women shaping the future of diving.
Adaptive Techniques and Accessible Diving
Through the PADI Adaptive Techniques programs and the Adaptive Service Facility designation, we continue to expand access for divers of all abilities, redefining what inclusion looks like underwater. In 2026, we are celebrating the third Adaptive Diving Week, highlighting how diving is a tool for healing, resilience and connection for people of all abilities.
PADI Eco Center
The PADI Eco Center designation recognizes dive centers and resorts that integrate sustainability into every part of their operation. These leaders are showing that caring for the planet strengthens both customer loyalty and business resilience. PADI Eco Centers worldwide are a testament to sustainability and environmental stewardship in the diving industry.
Innovation Recognized Around the World
The collective impact of the PADI community has not gone unnoticed:
- In 2024, Fast Company named PADI one of the Most Innovative Companies in the World.
- That same year, Condé Nast Traveler included PADI in its Bright Ideas in Travel list for leadership in marine conservation.
- And in 2025, WORTH Magazine described the PADI AWARE Foundation as “perhaps the most powerful NGO on earth,” acknowledging the unmatched scale of our diver community.
These honors reflect a decade of purpose-driven innovation and the dedication of PADI Pros around the globe.
What the Next Ten Years Can Become
For 60 years, PADI has built not only the world’s largest diver training organization but also a powerful global movement. Together, we’ve mobilized divers in more than 180 countries and territories to take part in conservation, community engagement and advocacy. Sustainability and social responsibility are now woven into the core of what it means to be a diver.
But we’re just getting started.
In the years ahead, PADI will continue to innovate, evolve and empower our global community with tools, resources and opportunities that strengthen both our industry and the ocean. As we mark this anniversary, we’re celebrating more than a milestone. We’re upholding a promise — that the next decade will be even more impactful.
If, in only ten years, PADI and its community of Torchbearers could build the largest underwater debris database, accelerate marine protection and open the ocean to more people than ever before… just imagine what we can accomplish by our 70th anniversary.
