PADI AWARE Week 2026

Heather Tallent   Aug 27, 2026

AWARE WEEK 2026

Do one thing for the ocean. Get your name in the hat.

Any conservation course you take or cleanup you join enters you in a drawing for five nights plus diving in St. Eustatius — donated by our friends at Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort + Scubaqua.

PADI AWARE Week, happening September 12-20, 2026, is when divers all over the world come together to celebrate our commitment to protecting our ocean planet. Whether you are brand new to diving and exploring the underwater world, or a seasoned pro with hundreds of dives in your log, you can make a difference every day and with every dive.

How YOU can make an impact

LEARN: The PADI AWARE specialty gives you the plan, while these other specialties give you the tools.

DIVE & REPORT: Make every dive count! Remove and report debris, report shark and ray sightings, and submit Biodiversity surveys on the AWARE app and fish counts to REEF.

ACT: Clean up your neighborhood and keep trash out of our waterways. Speak up for the ocean and add your voice on local, state, regional, federal and even international policy issues.

DONATE: Become an AWARE monthly donor and support community projects across 31 countries - from coral reef restoration to climate change mitigation. 

How the drawing works

AWARE Week runs September 12-20, but you have until September 30 to finish and be entered. There are multiple ways to enter — courses, cleanups, donations. Several are free, and several are open to non-divers, so bring a friend.

We will draw one winner on Thursday, October 1. Every entry has exactly the same odds.

Entries open Saturday, August 30 and everything has to be finished by 11:59pm Eastern on Wednesday, September 30 — courses done, donations set up. 

What you can do — any time before September 30

You don't have to wait for AWARE Week to begin on September 12th! Finish any of these by the 30th and you’ll be entered:
 

1. Earn your PADI AWARE Specialty with us.
   We've set aside 30 eLearning codes at $40 (normally $71) — email us or stop by for one, first come first served, good through September 30. Start it tonight and finish it with us at the happy hour on the 15th! Request a code
    

2. Dive Against Debris.
   Earn the specialty, remove trash from our local waterways and become part of Blue Planet's Dive Against Debris Team. We'll be at Sandy Point State Park on August 30 and September 13, and Lake Phoenix September 5–7 and 26-27. Register here
    

3. Add a conservation specialty.
   Coral Reef Conservation, Fish ID, Shark & Ray Conservation, Citizen Science Diver, and Digital Underwater Photographer. Sign up for the course August 30-September 30, 2026, complete any eLearning and join us in the classroom, pool or on a trip to complete any open water dives. Check out the details and register below
    

4. Become an AWARE Foundation monthly donor at $10+/month. 
   This year, PADI AWARE Foundation provided urgently-needed resources to community projects across 31 countries - from coral reef restoration to climate change mitigation - and has made a commitment to provide over $10 million in funding by 2030. Your monthly gift supports the people doing the work on the ground and representing the ocean at critical international policy meetings. Become a monthly donor
    

Non-divers welcome at the happy hour, the Zoom sessions and the Rock Creek cleanup — bring a friend or the family.

Blue Planet’s AWARE Week events

Take part in any of our AWARE Week events to be entered in the drawing! 
 

• Saturday, September 12 — Underwater Photographer, Level 1 @ MSSD pool
  A good photo is data. Learn to shoot images clear enough to identify a species, and your dive photos start counting toward the shark & ray census and fish surveys. Already certified? Join the pool workshop and sharpen your ID shots. Register here
  
   
• Sunday, September 13 — Dive Against Debris @ Sandy Point State Park
  Our last Annapolis debris survey of the year. Every piece of trash you bring up gets logged into the world's largest underwater debris database. Divers and surface volunteers both needed. Register here
  
   
• Tuesday, September 15 — AWARE Specialty Happy Hour @ The Board Room DC
  Finish your AWARE Specialty over a beer with your dive buddies! Trivia, prizes, and all are welcome, whether you already have the specialty or not. Register here
  
   
• Wednesday, September 16 — Shark & Ray Conservation + Citizen Science Diver @ Zoom
  Sharks and rays are disappearing faster than almost anything else in the ocean, and divers are the only people in the water counting them. We'll cover the specialty and log everyone's first sighting live on the app before we sign off. PLUS we'll walk through PADI's new Citizen Science Diver distinctive specialty! Learn about even more ways you can make a difference as a diver. Register here
  
   
• Thursday, September 17 - PADI Coral Reef Conservation Specialty @ Zoom
  Learn about corals and how coral reefs function, why they are so important, the threats they face and how you can help protect them. Already have the specialty? Join us for a free update on how to log your sightings on the new AWARE Biodiversity Survey! Register here
  
   
• Friday, September 18 - PADI AWARE Fish ID Specialty (classroom) @ Zoom
  Learn how to identify characteristics of most common fish families and species, plus fish survey techniques and strategies so you can contribute to fish counts when you dive! Already have the specialty? Join us for a free update on how to log your sightings on the new AWARE Biodiversity Survey! Register here
  
   
• Sunday, September 20 — Rock Creek Cleanup @ Peirce Mill Park
  It's International Cleanup Day! Join the Blue Planet Stream Team and Rock Creek Conservancy to keep trash out of the Potomac before it reaches the Bay. Kids, non-divers, pooches...are are welcome. Register here

Still open through September 30

Missed the week? You haven't missed the drawing. In addition to all the ways mentioned above, we'll have a few more dive opportunities available after AWARE Week ends!
 

• Saturday, September 26 - Dive Against Debris @ Lake Phoenix 
  Register here
  
   
• Sunday, September 27 - Digital Underwater Photography @ Lake Phoenix
  Register here

Questions

How do I know my entry got counted?

We'll email everyone in the running on September 29, to confirm you're on the list. Feel free to reach out to us via email to confirm before then!
 

I already have that specialty. Do I still get entered?

Yes! Join any of our sessions and we'll show you how to log your sightings in the new AWARE Biodiversity Survey. Or take a different specialty, join a cleanup, or become a monthly donor; any one of them enters you!
 

Is more always better?

For the drawing, no; one entry per person, whether you do one thing or five. Everybody has the same odds.

But we're not letting our conservation heroes go unrewarded: take part in two or more activities and you'll take home PADI or Blue Planet gear on top of your entry. We'll hand it out at the happy hour and the shop, while supplies last.

Tell me about the trip.

A voucher for one traveler to St. Eustatius: 5 nights at Golden Rock Resort in a deluxe room with breakfast, 3 days of two-tank morning dives, and round-trip airport transfers on the island. Valid for travel through April 30, 2027. Priced on double occupancy, so a single supplement applies if you travel alone; can't be used on a group trip. Airfare to St. Eustatius isn't included.

The whole prize is donated by Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort, with whom Scubaqua recently merged. We're immensely grateful for their support and commitment to conservation and sustainability! 
 

I'm not a diver. Can I still win?

Yes, the drawing is open to everyone, diver or not. Just know the prize includes three days of diving, so you'd need to be certified by the time you travel to use that part. (We can help with that too!)
 

Chasing something bigger?

Earn 5 specialties on top of your Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications, log 50 dives, and you can enter PADI's Master Scuba Diver Challenge for a shot at the Galapagos. Several of the courses above count toward it.
 

Questions? Call the shop at (202) 527-9419 or email info@blueplanetdc.com. Take action, protect the ocean, and we'll see you in the water.