Description:
The course is built around four learning outcomes. Recognise the main ocean threats: plastic pollution, overfishing, climate change, habitat destruction. Take responsible underwater images and build a media presence that supports conservation rather than just dive-tourism aesthetics. Engage in real conservation action — Dive Against Debris surveys, shark conservation, marine protected area campaigns. Become an eco-conscious diver and traveller who chooses operators and destinations based on their conservation practices.
PADI AWARE Foundation has been running since 1989. Originally focused on marine debris, it now coordinates a broader programme: shark and ray protection, marine protected area expansion, local grantee funding, citizen science via Dive Against Debris, and shark conservation legislation work. The Specialist course gives you a working knowledge of what the Foundation does, why each programme matters, and how to participate. It also explains how PADI's nonprofit structure channels course-fee proceeds into the conservation work itself.
No prerequisites. No minimum age. No diving experience required. The whole course can be completed remotely via eLearning and a two-way video conference session with an instructor, which makes it the most accessible PADI specialty in the catalogue. If you're a certified diver who wants to combine the rating with real fieldwork, pair it with Dive Against Debris (one in-water survey dive) for a more practical combination.
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