Photo credit: PADI
I got my PADI SCUBA certification way back in 1997 in Honolulu (those were the days), but I never knew just how much PADI contributed to world ocean conservation. That commitment is exemplified by its CEO, Drew Richardson, who worked tirelessly in 2025 on initiatives that addressed ocean conservation, adaptive diving, and community outreach, among many other things.
On World Oceans Day back in June, he participated in an underwater panel discussion and continued to expand the PADI Adopt the Blue program, which creates protected marine areas around the globe. It also saw him team up with actor Huang Bo when the two led a group of PADI divers to plant more than 250 corals off the coast of Dadonghai, China.
He also championed PADI AWARE Week, which focused on collecting data from Dive Against Debris events to inform policy, and supported the Global Plastics Treaty with Ocean Torchbearer signatures.
