Join Us For AWARE Week 2025

Jen Downey   Sep 05, 2025

The 8^th annual AWARE Week is your invitation to be part of something bigger - a global movement of divers and ocean advocates working to protect the underwater world we all love. From September 13-21, Torchbearers around the world will unite to take action above and below the surface through cleanups, citizen science, education and advocacy.

Have you logged in to the new PADI AWARE Conservation Action Portal (CAP), an all-in-one digital hub for marine conservation? Whether you’re submitting underwater survey data, signing a global petition, or discovering Adopt the Blue sites, the CAP makes it easier to turn your passion into purpose. Access it via desktop or download the AWARE App. It’s the same powerful platform, built for action anytime, anywhere.

As the global community of divers and Ocean Torchbearers™, we’re joining forces to tackle the marine debris crisis. So what can you do to help?
 

1. Sign the petition and help reach 150,000 signatures to support PADI AWARE® at the policy table during negotiations of the Global Plastics Treaty.
    
2. Join Blue Planet's Dive Against Debris Team! 
    
3. Make every dive a survey dive! Whenever you dive, you can submit your data to the CAP to support PADI AWARE's policy work to create a standardized global monitoring solution for marine debris.

AWARE Week Events

In honor of AWARE Week 2025, we have an exciting lineup of events and classes to help you get more involved in conservation efforts, both locally and on your next dive trip!

• Sunday, September 14 - Rock Creek Cleanup
  Looking to get outside and enjoy the weather while giving back to the community and helping the ocean? Join us for another clean-up in Rock Creek Park sponsored by Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service!

• Monday, September 15 - Special Documentary
  Join Sustainable Ocean Alliance DMV, Spindrift Images, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and Eaton DC for a premier screening of a new film, "The Right Whale: Tales of Resilience and Hope." The screening starts at 6 PM and will be followed by a short Q&A with an expert and the filmmakers! You can register to attend for free here.

• Tuesday, September 16 - PADI AWARE Specialty
  How do you impact the ocean -- both positively and negatively -- as a diver? Develop your very own action plan to make a difference every day and with every dive during this PADI specialty course. Keep AWARE Week going all year long! 

• Thursday, September 18 - Coral Reef Conservation
  As a scuba diver, you've probably guessed that the health of aquatic ecosystems is important for enjoyable dives. In this PADI specialty course, you will learn about the many threats facing our coral reefs and how you can help preserve them.

• Friday, September 19 - AWARE Fish ID
  Curious about the names of all those fish you see on a dive? Want to learn how to identify them and submit fish surveys for REEF? Join us for the classroom section of the AWARE Fish ID course and complete the dives on your next trip. This class will open your eyes to the diversity of the marine world!

• Saturday, September 20 - Dive Against Debris
  Dive Against Debris is not just a PADI AWARE specialty course; it's also a powerful citizen science program that provides tools to remove debris from dive sites and gather crucial survey data to forward essential conservation measures to help rid the ocean of marine debris. While we completed our last Sandy Point State Park cleanup on September 7th, you can still join us and learn how to become a a citizen scientist at Lake Phoenix this weekend! 

Did you know we're 100% AWARE?

When you continue your dive education and training, you only become a better diver. AND you support conservation efforts when you do it with us! As a 100% AWARE Partner dive center, we make a donation to the PADI AWARE Foundation for every certification we issue. That means you also get a special AWARE digital card! Thanks to our divers, we were recognized as the 2021 100% AWARE Worldwide Donation Leader.

---

 

What are other ways you can make a difference as a diver? 

• Take the Green Fins Diver e-Course
  This new online course teaches scuba divers how to prevent diving-related damage to coral reefs by following the highest environmental standards, as set out by the Green Fins initiative.

• Tips for Planning an Eco-Minded Dive Trip
  As divers, we are often more aware of issues impacting the ocean and coastal communities. Understanding what makes a dive site and its local residents healthy and stable is important when planning your next eco-minded dive trip. Here are some of the things we look for when we’re planning a trip.

• Shop sustainably!
  There are tons of great products now to help you reduce single-use plastics, given new life to discarded items and keep toxic chemicals off our bodies and out of marine ecosystems. Some of our favorites include Stream2Sea reef-safe sunscreens. Fourth Element's Rec fins are made of recycled plastic plus they offer a ton of great products created with sustainability in mind.

• Become a PADI Torchbearer
  Join the growing community of ocean advocates taking action above and below the surface. As a Torchbearer you'll receive the latest conservation news, actions and tips for divers.