If you love a place, then you have to protect it

Many individuals can relate to this creed, especially those who establish communities and build lives somewhere that they feel the most happy. 

Many of us feel most at home in or around the ocean. Project AWARE's Adopt a Dive Site™ Program allows Dive enthusiasts and Ocean Lovers to commit their passion to a place by backing it up with real data, media and commitment to taking care of it. A tangible and necessary support system to reinforce the efforts one can make towards protecting that which they love. 

To find a great example of a flourishing passion for ocean conservation look no further than the Florida Keys.The Keys host the third largest barrier reef system in the world; home to tremendous diversity. For many divers, this is the first time they will experience a dive within in living reef ecosystem.

Scuba Diving Centers strive to cater to the innate curiosity of each diver, and encourage each of our guests to help protect Florida’s natural wonders. The Keys recent focus on Dive Against Debris® and the associated local community engagement was a natural outgrowth of the innate enthusiasm of our Divemasters and Instructors - they live these reefs each and every day and feel a real drive to work to keep the reefs free of garbage and discarded junk. Now, with the Dive Against Debris® regular programs, Professional Divers are working hard to provide easy and engaging access to practical marine conservation for our guests and the local public.

Dive Centers like Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo, have a large passionate staff. At RRDC, each of us does what we do because of a shared passion for the ocean and its inhabitants. This passion helps create the drive to develop new skills and to introduce new programs that complement each other. RRDC has 23 sites adopted from all areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Each site represents a personal passion or connection to an individual staff member. This allows for continued monitoring, smooth transitions, and consistency. We monitor these sites multiple times a month and happily can report our sites remain free of debris. We do realize however, that outside the protections of our marine sanctuary boundaries the problem is certainly worse. We try expand our exploration to many of those unnamed areas monthly or more frequently in order to stay on top of any debris we can find.

This passion and consistency allowed programs in marine debris to be noticed by important Government and Marine Conservation Organizations. The level of training and consistency because of the Adopt a Dive Site™ Program allowed us to be prepared and trained to respond to critical marine debris issues we faced after the effects of Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 Storm that passed through our beautiful home in September 2017. 

Now; Dive Professionals, Recreational Divers, and Government Officials monitoring the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are working hand in hand, recognizing the value of ground and community level participation and the impacts that can be made by passionate individuals who love the place they live. This kind of success and tangible outcome is possible because of the data submitted over the course of a couple years and showing the community that divers can be a force for good. 

Real change can happen, if real people come together to support something that they love. When it comes to the ocean, Project AWARE gives you the tools needed to be a consistent positive presence in your community through diving. If you start with a little bit of passion, one small ripple at a time, then that can lead to big waves of change.