Description:
Marine debris is overwhelmingly plastic. Estimates put plastic waste at 60-80% of all debris in the ocean, with millions of tonnes entering every year. Divers are everywhere the ocean is. The Dive Against Debris programme uses that fact and treats certified divers as a distributed sensor network: you go to a dive site, survey what's there, sort and identify the debris, remove what should be removed, and report back. Real data. Real impact. It feeds a global database that researchers and policy makers actually use.
The eLearning portion explains the survey method. Not all underwater objects should be removed, because some have become habitat or substrate. Some debris is unsafe to remove on a recreational dive: heavy items, hooked items, anything entangled with marine life. You learn to identify those before touching anything. The collection phase uses mesh bags. The sorting and reporting phase happens back on the boat or at the dive shop, where you log items by type, count, and weight using PADI AWARE's standard categories.
Open to PADI Junior Open Water Divers, Open Water Divers, Freedivers, and Advanced Mermaids aged 10 and up (or qualifying equivalents). No prior conservation experience needed. The certification stays valid for life. It also lets you participate in any future Dive Against Debris survey anywhere PADI AWARE runs them. Many dive shops run regular cleanup events that the rating qualifies you to join.
Technical
