Divers filling a mesh bag with rubbish collected from the seabed

AWARE Dive Against Debris

Name: AWARE Dive Against Debris
Brand: PADI
SKU: ADA001
Price: 2500.00 ZAR
Availability: InStock

SKU ADA001

R 2,500.00 ZAR

Product variants

Pick up the rubbish, by all means. But it's the paperwork that actually changes anything.

Most divers have hauled something off a reef at some point. A carrier bag, a length of line, a bottle. It feels good and it does a small amount of good, and then it's over. Dive Against Debris is the version of that with teeth, because what you remove gets counted.

The course teaches you to run a proper debris survey: how to remove debris without doing more damage than the debris was doing, what's safe to lift and what should be left alone, and how to record what you find by type and quantity so the data is actually usable.

That data goes into the PADI AWARE Foundation's global marine debris database, which is used to argue for real policy change on single-use plastics and waste management. It's one of the few citizen science programmes in diving where the numbers demonstrably get used.

What Dive Against Debris Involves

One survey dive, plus the knowledge development, and around eight hours in total. You'll come away able to plan and run a survey dive, remove debris safely, and report it properly, which is the part most well-meaning clean-up dives skip entirely.

There's more than one route in. A PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver certification, a PADI Freediver certification or a PADI Advanced Mermaid certification all qualify, and the minimum age is 10. It counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating.

Ready to make your rubbish count? Book Dive Against Debris below, or get in touch with our team if you'd like to arrange a survey dive for a club or a group.

What This Course Entails

Knowledge development covers the scale and sources of the marine debris problem, what actually changes it, and how to plan and conduct a Dive Against Debris survey properly rather than as an informal clean-up.

You'll also cover the judgement involved: what's safe to remove and what isn't, when debris has become habitat and should be left where it is, and how to handle items that could be hazardous. Removing the wrong thing can do more harm than leaving it.

One survey dive then puts it into practice, recording debris by type and quantity for submission to the PADI AWARE global database. The course runs in around eight hours in total, and all scuba equipment is included.

Prerequisites

Certified PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver, PADI Freediver, or PADI Advanced Mermaid, or a qualifying certification from another training organisation.
Minimum age is 10 years old.
Complete a basic health screening questionnaire to confirm you're fit to dive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a scuba diver?

You need a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver certification, a PADI Freediver certification, or a PADI Advanced Mermaid certification, and to be at least 10 years old. So there's more than one route in, which is unusual for a specialty.

What actually happens on the dive?

You conduct a survey dive, removing debris and recording what you find by type and quantity. It's one dive, and the recording is as important as the removing, because the data is the part that has a lasting effect.

How long does Dive Against Debris take?

Around eight hours in total, including the knowledge development and one survey dive. It's comfortably a single day, and the survey dive can be run at whichever site suits the group.

Does the data actually go anywhere?

Yes. Your survey feeds into the PADI AWARE Foundation's global marine debris database, which is used to push for policy change on single-use plastics and waste management. It's one of the few citizen science programmes in diving where the numbers demonstrably get used.

Can we run this as a club or group?

Yes, and it works considerably better that way. A group survey covers more ground, produces better data for the PADI AWARE database, and gives a club something genuinely worthwhile to build a dive day around. Get in touch and we'll organise it.

Are air fills included in the course price?

No, and that is deliberate. Air is charged as you use it, per fill, and invoiced to you after your session. Every diver breathes differently, and building a worst-case air allowance into every course fee would mean the lightest breathers subsidising the heaviest, so instead you pay for the air you actually use and the course price stays lower for everyone. We confirm the current fill rate with you when we book your dates, and you are welcome to ask us for it at any point before that. Dive site entrance fees are also paid separately, at the site on the day.