I inhale sharply through my regulator as I look up at the enormous cloud of fish—silver scales flashing as they split down the middle to avoid colliding with me. We’re maybe 200 yards offshore, if that. I had no idea schools this size came in so close. A stream of bubbles escapes as my instructor laughs, clearly amused by the shock on my face. Then, suddenly, he looks up and points. The school has stopped dead, hovering around us, transfixed by the bubbles. They playfully chase the little orbs, swimming through them until they vanish. When the school finally clears, my instructor gestures for me to follow. We’re heading to the reef for my very first dive.
A small, clean, and unassuming building nestled in a shady corner on the south end of Grand Anse Beach, Dive Grenada is part of something much bigger than itself: it is one of nearly 7,000 Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) dive centers worldwide. Run by 128,000 professional members, these shops operate across 186 countries. To say PADI dominates the global dive industry would be an understatement.
I came here to learn to scuba, expecting to fall in love with colorful, alien sea life I had only seen on social media or at the aquarium. What I found instead was a global army of citizen scientists.
“We have this massive network of operators around the world,” says Ian Campbell, PADI AWARE’s Director of Policy and Campaigns. “Our goal is to figure out how that network can help governments meet their conservation goals—and give divers a meaningful role in shaping ocean health.”
One key element provides vital context for the success of PADI AWARE’s mission: the unique individuals drawn to diving. Kindly, they are weirdos. Walking contradictions that are simultaneously laid-back and highly competent. Playful, yet grounded. Meet them at a party, and you might get the sense that they’d rather not be there—and it’s true. A few basic questions reveal that they’d simply rather be underwater than sipping a cocktail in NYC. They’re the beach bums with advanced degrees—responsible adrenaline junkies who revere nature and chase adventure. Since 1967, PADI has certified over 28 million of these people. They’re a powerful resource—and a few clever organizations have figured out how to harness them.
For decades, scuba was about counting dives and snapping photos (and never touching the reef). Today, the mantra has shifted: it’s not about counting your dives, it’s about how you make your dives count. That transformation stems largely from PADI AWARE, the nonprofit orignally launched as “Project AWARE” in 1989 and formalized in 1992. In 2021, it became the integrated PADI AWARE Foundation—a dedicated nonprofit with a formal role within PADI’s global operations.
Dr. Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide, echoes this shift in mindset. “Scuba diving is one of the few tourist activities that is truly regenerative by nature,” he said. “Our collective of citizen science programs is changing the perspective of divers and their deeper purpose—that with every minute they spend beneath the surface, they can truly make a difference for the place they love.”
From Bubbles to Policy
PADI AWARE runs four major programs:
Dive Against Debris: Launched in 2011, this marine-debris cleanup campaign is now the world’s most significant underwater citizen-science movement. Over 100,000 divers in 120+ countries have cataloged more than 2.6 million pieces of debris and freed over 36,000 entangled marine animals. Divers collect marine debris from the seabed, categorize each item, and submit it to PADI’s central database. Each survey is reviewed for quality and accuracy before being used by researchers and policymakers to track debris hotspots, problematic items, and the effectiveness of local waste regulations.
“Meaningful citizen science projects place as much importance on the number zero as any other number,” Campbell notes. Zero-data dives, when no debris is found, are essential for establishing baselines and tracking change.
Adopt the Blue: In partnership with Blancpain, this initiative enables dive centers to “adopt” local marine areas and regularly monitor the health of their ecosystems. As of 2025, 2,319 sites have been established, spanning over 77 million square kilometers of ocean. In the Caribbean, this includes coral bleaching monitoring across six countries in collaboration with NOAA. In Greece, divers have surveyed 2,000 square meters of seagrass meadows, and in the UK, they’ve mapped 20 kilometers of habitat along the English Channel.
Global Shark & Ray Census: Launching this year, this new program is designed in partnership with Swiss watchmaker Blancpain and marine biologists from James Cook University. Divers and snorkelers will log shark and ray sightings to help track the health of these species and inform protected area planning.
Community Grant Program: Funded by Blancpain and Seiko, this initiative provides resources to local dive shops and nonprofits conducting marine research, cleanups, and educational initiatives.
Richardson has played a key role in shaping many of these efforts firsthand. Since 1993, he has also served as Chairman of the Board for the PADI AWARE Foundation, and under his leadership, the organization launched a global vision of creating one billion Ocean Torchbearers. “Hope is still rising for the ocean,” he said. “With every new PADI certification we issue, we add to our ability to lift the seas and each other.”
Watchmakers Help Drive Impact
While this may sound strange to some, brands like Blancpain and Seiko have been instrumental in funding and amplifying conservation efforts, such as PADI AWARE’s. Blancpain, known for inventing the first modern dive watch, is now supporting conservation programs such as the Vulnerable Marine Species Program and Adopt the Blue. Seiko supports Dive Against Debris. These partnerships fund operations, increase visibility, and—critically—help integrate PADI’s efforts into global policy frameworks.
“The private sector is what will move the needle,” Campbell said. “We’re seeing that more and more.”
The Global Plastics Treaty Push
One of PADI AWARE’s most ambitious policy goals is to have Dive Against Debris recognized under the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty—an international, legally binding agreement currently under negotiation. If adopted into Article 11, the program would become an approved method for governments to monitor marine debris, strengthening their ability to develop waste management policies and plastic regulations.
With more than a decade of standardized data collection and diver training, PADI AWARE is uniquely positioned to help fill global data gaps. It would mark a rare moment when grassroots action directly informs international law.
Why It’s Working
What sets PADI AWARE apart is scale and scientific rigor. Divers are trained in standardized protocols, and every survey is reviewed before it is entered into the global database. Even zero-data dives are valued, ensuring consistent methodology.
With just 10 full-time staff, the foundation must prioritize its resources. Its Blueprint for Ocean Action focuses on the four strategic areas supported by its programs: marine debris, vulnerable species, habitat restoration, and marine protected areas. Collaborations with groups like NOAA and local governments help turn diver-gathered data into real-time intelligence.
But progress depends on local buy-in and funding. “There’s generally the will to work toward ocean protection,” Campbell said. “But capacity and funding are huge barriers. That’s why we focus on supporting existing efforts at the local level—figuring out how our global network can best help.”
In Barbados, PADI AWARE hosted a workshop with local dive shops and policymakers to co-design conservation goals and monitoring plans. “It’s about figuring out what matters, what’s within our control, and focusing our energy there,” Campbell said.
PADI also recognizes that conservation looks different around the world. “What’s a priority in one country may not be in another,” Campbell said. “Our role isn’t to impose answers, but to provide tools and support wherever we can.”
Since its founding, PADI and its members have funded $6 million in grants, supported 350,000 local initiatives, and helped protect more than 100 shark and ray species. They’ve untangled more than 36,000 marine animals and adopted more than 2,700 dive sites for ongoing monitoring. Since 2011, more than 2 million data points have been collected through Dive Against Debris, informing pollution policy and global understanding of the marine plastics crisis.
How to Participate
When I signed up for my certification, I thought I was acquiring yet another expensive hobby (check out my story on How to Become a Pilot) that would provide a welcome perspective shift from my screen-oriented job. Instead, I found a movement: a global, beautifully weird network of people who’d rather be underwater than on land—and who are using that devotion to protect the planet.
“From the harbor in my small hometown in Wales to coral reefs around the world, the ocean shaped me,” Campbell said. “It’s not just a place. It’s who we are.”
The ocean gives us everything—climate regulation, oxygen, food, joy. Now it’s asking for our help.
If you want to get involved:
- Sign up to be an Ocean Torchbearer
- Join a Dive Against Debris event
- Adopt a dive site
- Donate to support conservation programs
- Download the PADI AWARE Conservation Action Portal
- Follow PADI AWARE on social media to support petitions and calls to action
You don’t need to be a scientist. You just need to dive in.
