Just last week I was lucky enough to meet with dive centres and PADI Instructors in Bali. The enthusiasm and support for Project AWARE and our mission to protect the ocean was incredible. It was extremely motivating to return to the office in Australia knowing that our leaders are on the ground, hitting the streets and making changes.

Shark Petition Signatures

Tranwangan Dive on Gili Trawangan and Bali Crystal Divers each presented me with shark petition signatures. Ayala and Sarah at Trawangan Dive send their male instructors to the beaches to collect signatures for our shark campaign. The result? Over 200 signatures for sharks (and the boys get to chat up the ladies too!) Fantastic.

Crystal Divers in Bali set their team of interns on a shark mission. Led by PADI Platinum Course Director Minni Vangsgaard the team - 8 strong - have been taken on an incredible journey from Open Water Diver all the way to becoming a PADI Instructor. The interns are local Indonesians and are so passionate about sharks and the environment they've been doing Dive Against Debris actions and collecting petition signatures. They've even roped in their sisters, brothers and families to collect signatures too. Over 1000 signatures were handed to me and I was blown away! This is absolutely amazing and I could see they were very proud to be part of our shark protection efforts.

New 100% AWARE Leaders

I was also lucky enough to present Annabel Thomas from AquaMarine Diving Bali and Guy Faisnel from Bali Breizh with their 100% AWARE Certificates and to thank them personally for this contribution. These dive centres are the first in Indonesia to go 100% AWARE by certifying all their students with the AWARE version of the PADI Certification Card.

Finn the Shark

I also had the chance to finally meet Finn our lovely Hammerhead Shark. I had already met Finley but Finn had just arrived in Bali and was being taken care of by Blue Season Bali. It was great to see Finn in action.

Thanks to everyone who made my trip to Bali so great! Can't wait to help you all put your conservation dreams into action.