In 2017, Project AWARE® celebrated its 25th anniversary. It was a proud moment for our global community as we looked back on all that we have accomplished together. From its grassroots inception, Project AWARE has grown into a global movement for the future of our ocean planet. Together we have successfully removed 1 million items of trash, rallied our voices for historic safeguards for sharks and ray species and adopted over 300 dive sites globally. 2017 saw over 6,000 AWARE divers taking action in over 70 countries for a clean, healthy ocean.

As underwater adventurers, we often see what others can’t - how quickly overfishing, pollution, and climate change can alter aquatic life, irreversibly destroying marine ecosystems that are vital to life on this planet. The AWARE community of volunteers provides a unique voice for the ocean, bringing to the surface what’s beneath the waves.

In 2017, we invested in technology to advance our growing citizen science programs. In response to the needs of our dedicated volunteers, we launched a new smartphone app to enable Dive Against Debris® participants across the world to easily record information. Dive Against Debris surveys not only reduce the amount of pollution in the ocean, they also build a global dataset of underwater debris that enables us, alongside our partners, to advocate for a return to a clean ocean.

Last year we also continued to advocate against the overfishing of sharks and rays. Through education and awareness, we rallied support for some of the most vulnerable shark species by bringing much-needed attention to the State of the Global Market for Shark Products and launching the world's first-ever guidelines for shark and ray tourism operators - Responsible Shark and Ray Tourism: A Guide to Best Practice. These are just a few accomplishments that wouldn’t be possible without the passionate community that work alongside us to fight for a return to a healthy ocean.

We are so proud of all we accomplished together and, as we create a vision for our next 25 years, we look forward to connecting your passion for ocean adventure with the purpose of marine conservation. Get ready to take action with both fins on and off.

Together we are Project AWARE - Where Conservation Meets Adventure℠.