As an instructor working at Orca Scuba Diving Academy (an inland DC in the UK) I have sought to help protect our oceans and promote awareness of the threats they face and actions we can take by:
• Introducing and running the Dive Centres first D.A.D. speciality course by getting a few students engaged and then asking the DC owner to agree to me meeting their wishes. A second member of staff has since become a D.A.D. speciality instructor.
• I had wrongly thought that the Adopt a Blue initiative was for coastal sites, but since discovering inland ones can be included, I've 'adopted' a site we use for training so that it will be easier for myself and others to monitor and record any debris found there.
• I've led 4 recorded D.A.D. surveys and have many unrecorded debris removals (role modelling that every dive a debris dive).
• I highlighted the contents of the PADI Journal article "A road map for the future" to the DC owner pointing out that it indicates that 2/3rd said sustainability is a main consideration and therefore an issue that is relevant to his business.
• Although all instructors can deliver the PADI AWARE speciality course this hadn’t been utilised in the last 4 years. I raised it with my current DM trainee who agreed that it was something he felt important enough to want to do. I used his experience and views to discuss it with my DC owner. This led to an agreement to include the PADI AWARE speciality as part of all future DM programmes here and that this will be undertaken for the cost of the certification.
• I also persuaded DC owner to include 10 Tips for Divers in every Open Water Diver crew pack.
• Similarly, he agreed to include the Kids AWARE 'word search and colouring' materials in every Seal Team crew pack.
• Asked all staff to raise the option to make a donation to PADI AWARE and receive a special version of their eCard.
• Then I ran a staff workshop on the “10 Tips for Divers” to promote their engagement and their ability to discuss it with students.
• Having taken the Ocean Torchbearer Pledge at the Go dive show I raised and explained the pledge at staff meetings and encouraged others to sign up.
• Information about the pledge is also being included in every Open Water Diver crew pack.
• I’ve also signed the petition seeking 30% of the ocean being protected by 2030.