In 2022, the PADI AWARE Foundation launched the Adopt the Blue initiative with a vision to create a nimble, active network of underwater sites ready for action across conservation issues and geographies. PADI AWARE Foundation, in partnership with Blancpain, called upon PADI Dive Centers, Resorts, and Professionals around the world to adopt their local sites – and they enthusiastically delivered. In less than three years, a staggering 2,600+ sites in 115 countries were ready to tackle conservation challenges.
Adopt the Blue offers a vast and growing network of underwater sites to establish marine protected areas. This open-source platform provides real-time data to guide local policy and protection efforts, a need that intensified with the threat of a massive coral bleaching event across the Caribbean in the summer of 2023.
The Adopt the Blue network was quickly mobilized to aid in this crisis. PADI AWARE found that of the sites adopted at the time, 49% were in coral reef ecosystems with 18% identifying coral bleaching as a conservation issue of concern. NOAA Coral Reef Watch needed in-water data and observations of coral bleaching on local reefs and that real-time data was critical to determine how well Coral Reef Watch satellite-based heat stress products are performing. Who better than divers on Adopt the Blue sites to fill this need?
PADI AWARE Foundation reached out to Adopt the Blue sites in predetermined regions of the Caribbean identified by NOAA. By February 2024, divers from eight participating centers across Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Costa Rica, and Bonaire* had conducted over 51 surveys. This provided NOAA with real-time, underwater data on coral bleaching to inform their system and response strategy. Thanks to PADI AWARE’s coral donors from 2023, PADI AWARE Foundation was also able to provide funding to all participants to support costs – a total of USD $8,500 in grants directly to local communities.
Dr. Derek P. Manzello, Ph.D., Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, remarked, “The collaboration of PADI AWARE Foundation’s Adopt the Blue and NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch engages the diving community as collaborators in the scientific data collection that will lead to the identification and monitoring of bleaching-resilient corals and coral reefs.”
Edmund Settle, a PADI Master Instructor with Coral Point Diving, shared his experience: “Participating in the NOAA Coral Bleaching Project through the PADI Aware Foundation’s Adopt the Blue initiative was an outstanding learning opportunity for all involved. While we, as divers, often observe the health of coral reefs, this project allowed us to document firsthand how warming seas impact coral bleaching in our local waters, utilizing underwater photography and sharing compiled data. Engaging divers as citizen scientists allows for invaluable real-time data into coral reef health, deepening our understanding and guiding efforts to preserve and protect these essential ecosystems.”
With the 4th global coral bleaching event announced in April 2024, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Reef-World Foundation, PADI AWARE Foundation, and PADI Dive Centers and Resorts joined forces once again to validate the NOAA Coral Reef Watch satellite-based data on coral bleaching and heat stress with a focus on coral reefs in the Asia Pacific region. From July 2024 to January 2025, 14 PADI Dive Centers across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Japan monitored, recorded, and photographed various corals on 16 Adopt the Blue sites, completing 63 surveys to provide critical data to support coral reef conservation efforts.
“We will continue to work alongside our Adopt the Blue community to provide a vital delivery service to the international coral community,” says Danna Moore, Global Director of PADI AWARE Foundation. “We seek to track underwater changes over time at as many sites as possible and establish a pre-warning system for various coral issues (e.g. invasive species, disease, bleaching, etc). This initiative goes beyond monitoring; it includes proactive measures like removing corallivores to aid short-term coral recovery worldwide.”**
These projects demonstrate the real-world impact the global community of Ocean Torchbearers can have when they come together, uniting in efforts to Adopt the Blue and protect marine areas. This type of tangible action for our corals would not be possible without the dedication and remarkable commitment of PADI Members and Dive Centers. We extend our heartfelt thanks to AB-Dive, Barbados Blue, Coral Point Diving, Dive Bequia, Eco Dive, Oceans Unlimited, Rich Coast Diving, Roger’s Scuba Shack, Gili Shark Conservation, AquaMarine Diving, Easy Divers Bali, All 4 Diving Indonesia, Papua Diving Resorts, Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort, Black Eye Scuba, Sea Voice Divers, Cebu Fun Divers, Savedra Dive Center, Blue Revival Diving College, Sierra Madre Divers, Okinawa Diving Service Lagoon, and Yudai Tsubone.
Your support can make a significant difference. To learn more about PADI AWARE’s commitment to accelerating coral reef recovery and restoration and how you can help, visit www.padiaware.org.
Together, we can protect these vital ecosystems and ensure a healthy future for our oceans. Join us in making a difference with Adopt the Blue.
Special thanks to Blancpain:
Official Partner of the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action and Founding Partner of the PADI MPA Program and ADOPT THE BLUE™
*PADI AWARE Foundation shares all citizen science data with the public from any of our programs. Please contact information@padiaware.org if you would like us to send you the data collected for this project.
**PADI AWARE Foundation is a member of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and works collaboratively with the international community as well as local governments to establish best practices for coral protection.
