The annual DEMA Show put on by the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association is more than just a scuba diving trade show – it’s the dive industry’s event of the year.

With diving equipment manufacturers, training and certification organizations, apparel producers, travel companies and philanthropies from across the globe in attendance, it’s a chance for all members of the dive industry to connect, collaborate and innovate.

Project AWARE has been honored to attend the DEMA show alongside PADI with great success in past years, and this year was no exception.

As we’re just now catching our breath after a whirlwind week of travel, meetings and Dive Against Debris training workshops, we’d like to take a moment to say, THANK YOU!

Thank you to all of our supporters – dive centers, scuba instructors, ocean enthusiasts and marine conservation advocates – you helped make our presence at the 2015 DEMA show an incredible success. Not only did we enjoy meeting many new and old members of our dive community in the Project AWARE booth, we were absolutely thrilled to test drive our new Dive Against Debris workshop with many dive professionals who share the same passion and vision for a return to a clean ocean.

"I'm delighted to have conducted Project AWARE's first ever Dive Against Debris workshops reaching almost 200 citizen scientists at DEMA 2015" says Hannah Pragnell-Raasch, Project AWARE Program Specialist. "Thank you to all who attended, I've been blown away with all your support."

The workshops participants asked many pertinent data-reporting questions and worked together to find solutions. They listened intently and learned techniques and best practices for reporting more frequent, more accurate Dive Against Debris data. We shared our Dive Against Debris action kits with them so that they now have not only the knowledge, but also the tools to get the work done. We’re grateful to have shared that experience with dive leaders, and cannot wait to see their Dive Against Debris efforts expand in the coming year. They are our newest Dive Against Debris champions.

Specifically designed to help dive professionals engage divers in Dive Against Debris activities and report better data more often, our DEMA 2015 workshops will go a long way toward empowering dive leaders to take their Dive Against Debris efforts to new depths and building an army of debris activists fighting back against the onslaught of marine litter.

Our community of empowered citizen scientists is growing, and now more than ever, we’re positively impacting our ocean environments through Dive Against Debris. Thank you to our dedicated community that makes this possible.

Activate your inner citizen scientist! Participate in Dive Against Debris today and contact your nearest Dive Against Debris Instructor to learn more.