SEASIR started as a diving shop on Aka Island in 1983. Since then, SEASIR has grown into the largest Okinawan diving company existing to this day.
The team recently got in touch with us at [email protected] to highlight their “Make 0 Trash in the Ocean” initiative this Plastic-Free July. Are you a Mission Hub or PADI Torchbearer with a similar ocean-saving initiative to share? Get in touch with us today! We are here to support you and raise awareness for the incredible work and passion of the global PADI conservation community.
Anna from Marine House SEASIR in Okinawa – also a member of the organization’s Sustainable Development Goals Team – explains their story and what they are doing to support the global movement to save the ocean;
“Marine House SEASIR operates four diving centers and marine activity shops, a diving equipment store, an overhaul center, a guesthouse and a pension, as well as a travel agency. In 2017, we also opened a shop in Cebu, Philippines. Our company vision was to be a gateway for anybody to discover the wonders of nature and to inspire them with the dive to protect this exceptional heritage that is the sea.”
This year, during this challenging time for tourism, SEASIR stood still. However, this gave us the opportunity to create a new department absorbed by supporting and advancing the work of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. We have started working on it to sustainably protect our precious nature and the world. All staff now regularly do beach cleanings and port cleanings in both Aka Island and Naha. We occasionally pick horn drupes which eat up corals, and reuse them as natural accessories.
We have a track record of more than ten years in the inbound business. In addition to foreign-national staff from English, Chinese, and Korean speaking countries, the company has full-time native-speaker English conversation teachers, and one of our characteristics is that our Japanese staff are also accustomed to serving overseas tourists. We also accept many employees on Working Holiday visas, training them to be the top-class diving instructors.
About the tour “Make 0 Trash in the Ocean”
This is a monthly tour held by Marine House SEASIR Naha shop. The tour aim is to “Make 0 Trash in the Ocean”, so we arrange the tours to begin on the dates with “0”. So 10th, 20th, and 30th of every month. It is presented to every diver who attends our Leisure Diving Tour, Refresh Diving Tour and Advanced Open Water Course. During every dive, divers use mesh bags to collect marine debris that they find. As it should be, we are careful not to damage coral or disturb marine life. We have three instructors who have DSDSPI certification in Naha shop. Our instructors always introduce the matters needing attention and ensure divers’ safety.
Meanwhile, we are making a plan for two new experiences extending from this tour. The first one is AWARE Dive Against Debris Specialty Course. As environmental concerns continue to grow severely, more and more divers are bursting to donate themselves and their time to making the ocean healthy again. However they cannot always find a way to learn appropriate skills and the best way to take action! Therefore, our instructors in Naha shop plan to carry out the DAD Specialty Course and add it to our normal training course lists.
The other experience is keyed towards children. The marine debris brought back from the ocean is cleaned up, classified, reported and then displayed in our shop. The children who attend our Snorkeling Tour and Introductory Diving Tour can use the debris to make a souvenir in the shop, maybe a picture, maybe a model car or anything that they can imagine. We believe the little ones may understand the meaning of “turn waste into wealth” by the tour and also remember how important it is to handle their waste in a correct way.
All the things we have planned are in place to promote the awareness of SDGs to staffs and guests. The ocean needs us, and as divers we have the strength and ability to do something. Even it is not strong enough to change the whole world, we can affect the people we meet every day and at scale, this is momentous. Our eyes may always look forward and our mind may not be moved.