PADI Eco Centers across Europe are stepping up to protect our blue planet. They clean up local waterways, minimize their environmental footprint and offer sustainability workshops. Here are some of the conservation activities for divers in Germany and Switzerland offered by PADI Eco Centers.
Conservation Activities in Germany
Across Germany PADI Divers are working to save our blue planet, one dive and one conservation activity at a time. Here are just a few examples of dive centers working to make a difference.
ABC Divers – Eching, Germany
ABC Divers offers citizen science and conservation activities for divers and non-divers in Germany. For example:
- The dive shop offers the PADI AWARE Shark Conservation course prior to their Red Sea trips (anyone is welcome to attend).
- Starting in 2026, the shop will offer a freshwater biology course focused on Echinger Weiher, a former gravel quarry north of Munich. Students will collect and examine water samples under a microscope to understand the macro-organisms living in the lake and what they reveal about water quality.
ABC Divers is also the official caretaker of Echinger Weiher. The dive shop’s commitment to preserving and protecting the environment was one of the reasons they were awarded the contract.
For those unfamiliar with Echinger Weiher, it’s a lake fed by an underground spring. The site is diveable year-round. Because of the spring, water temperatures rarely fall below 7–8°C/45–46°F in winter months, preventing ice formation. The clear water, healthy vegetation and abundant marine life make the site ideal for both training and ecological study.
The dive shop monitors the lake’s drainage and takes steps to minimize human impact. For example, there are designated fish resting areas where diving is prohibited. ABC Divers also maintains and replaces diving platforms to minimize contact with the lake bottom.
ABC Divers also hosts an annual clean-up day. In 2025, more than 30 divers and topside volunteers removed over 20 kg/44 lb of waste.
“Interestingly, most of the trash didn’t come from divers but from other visitors around the lake — proof that the diving community takes great care of its environment,” said ABC Divers co-owner and Managing Director Stefan Matthes.
diveXellence – Ulm, Germany
Sustainability is an essential part of the culture at diveXellence. The shop uses solar power for most of its energy needs and uses real dishes, cutlery and reusable glasses and bottles for beverages.
DiveXellence also organizes conservation activities for divers and non-divers. Its most popular events are World Cleanup Day and PADI AWARE® Week in September.
For World Cleanup Day, diveXellence partners with the local town of Laupheim. The first year, volunteers collected 130 kilograms/286 pounds of waste. Of that total, approximately 68 kilograms/150 pounds came from a nearby quarry lake. In recent years, the amount of waste collected has dropped, but the dive shop still organizes at least two quarry lake clean-ups per year.
“Participating in a clean-up event changes people’s minds. At least, it might stop them from buying too many plastic‑wrapped things or throwing litter into nature,” said Jens Nassall, Course Director at diveXelllence.
DiveXellence also offers conservation training. Beginning in 2026, the PADI AWARE course will be part of the shop’s Open Water Diver training package, and there will be an Eco Edition of Advanced Open Water Diver. The Eco Edition includes the Peak Performance Buoyancy and Dive Against Debris® Specialty courses.
Just Leave Bubbles – Leipzig, Germany
World Cleanup Day is also a big event in Leipzig, thanks to Just Leave Bubbles. In 2025, nearly 40 volunteers removed 118.6 kg/261 lb of trash from the local lake and shoreline. And, in the past four years, the Just Leave Bubbles clean-up team has removed more than half a ton/1102 lbs. of waste from local waterways.
“We find garbage on countless dives – sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller,” said Sabine Schmidt, owner of Just Leave Bubbles. “If you’re not a diver, you don’t know what’s hidden below the surface. That’s why we keep organizing clean-ups.
“We’re always looking for motivated people who would like to help make a positive impact, and we’ve been amazed at how many divers choose our dive shop because of our environmental commitment. It’s become a real point of connection,” Schmidt said.
Throughout the year, divers can enroll in the Dive Against Debris Specialty course and participate in sustainability workshops. The workshops are open to both divers and non-divers and feature simple tips for everyday sustainability, such as using reusable bottles and making homemade cleaning products.
In 2025, the dive center also co-organized a Children’s Environmental Day with ElasmOcean, the Saxony Diving Federation and the Leipzig Dolphins local club. This event, which had more than 30 participants, introduced local children and families to the importance of protecting marine and freshwater environments.
Conservation Activities in Switzerland
Swiss divers are also making a difference to our blue planet. Keep reading for info on conservation programs run by PADI Dive Shops in the country.
TSK Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland
TSK in Zurich is also proud to raise awareness about underwater pollution. The climate-neutral dive shop organizes several clean-ups throughout the year at various locations, but their 2025 World Cleanup Day event was one of the largest yet.
World Cleanup Day 2025 attracted more than 60 divers and onshore volunteers, plus attention from local media. In total, the volunteers removed approximately 450 kilograms/992 pounds of waste from the lake basin in Zurich. TSK also organizes an annual lake clean-up for Google’s Zurich team. You can follow TSK’s clean-up efforts on the PADI AWARE Dive Against Debris map. Other TSK Zurich conservation activities include an annual PADI AWARE Night, which takes place every September. The dive shop also hosts talks from university scientists and other experts. Past event topics include sustainability, orcas, sharks and speakers from local marine conservation organization KYMA.
PADI Dive Shops Support Our Blue Planet
In Germany, Switzerland and around the world, PADI Dive Shops support the health of our blue planet, from local waterways to the big, beautiful ocean. Contact a PADI Dive Shop to learn how to get involved with conservation activities in your area.
