Dive into action during PADI's 6th annual AWARE Week! Taking place September 16-24, 2023, AWARE Week is an opportunity for divers around the world to take local action for global impact. YOU can create positive ocean change through fins-on, fins-off conservation actions, courses and event participation.

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.

NEW: Conservation Challenge

This year Blue Planet Scuba decided to take AWARE Week one step further and host a year-long challenge to incentivize taking action for conservation! Starting September 16, 2023, you can earn points for a number of different activities included classes, cleanups and more. The person who earns the most points by September 3, 2024 will win a trip to Cozumel with Blue Planet!!! Learn more and enter today!

In honor of AWARE Week 2023, we have an exciting lineup of events and classes to help you get more involved AND earn points in the Challenge! 

AWARE Week Events

• Saturday, September 16 - Rock Creek Cleanup
  Join Blue Planet and the Rock Creek Conservancy for the International Coastal Cleanup! We'll be removing trash from our favorite National Park and keeping local waterways free of debris.

• Sunday, September 17 - Dive Against Debris @ Sandy Point State Park 
  Join us for our last Dive Against Debris of the season at our Adopt the Blue site. Learn how you can make every dive count by not just removing trash but recording and submitting the data too. Non-divers are also welcome and can join us for a beach cleanup.

  Sunday, Sepember 17 - Mermaid Against Debris @ Lake Phoenix
  Yes, mermaids can help keep our oceans clean too! PADI Advanced Mermaids are invited to learn how to safely remove debris underwater and log their findings. Every dive can make a difference!

• Tuesday, September 19 - Special presentation via Zoom!
  Join us for a very special AWARE Week presentation from Kevin Macaulay of Reef Renewal USA about how rising water temps are impacting already threatened coral reefs! He'll be discussing the latest heat stress event in Florida and the response, as well as Reef Renewal's plans for the future and their goals of creating the "corals of tomorrow". Don't miss this important discussion of how YOU can make an impact as a diver!

• Wednesday, September 20 - Project 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 21 - 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 22 - 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 23 - Peak Performance Buoyancy
  Divers who’ve mastered the highest performance levels in buoyancy stand apart. You’ve seen them underwater. They glide effortlessly, use less air and ascend, descend or hover, almost as if by thought. Best of all, they never crash into, bump, or damage any of the dive site. Join us for this course at Lake Phoenix to take your buoyancy skills to the next level.

What are others 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 and these bamboo utensil sets. 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.