Big news! PADI has been recognized by TIME as one of the “10 Most Influential Sustainability Companies of 2026” on its inaugural TIME100 Companies Industry Leaders list.
The recognition places PADI alongside major global brands, including sustainability AI platform Watershed, world food company Danone and global technology leader GHGSat, and highlights the growing role divers can play in protecting our ocean.
To assemble the list, TIME solicited nominations across sectors and polled its global network of contributors, correspondents and outside experts. Editors evaluated each company based on impact, innovation, ambition and success, resulting in a diverse group of leaders driving meaningful change worldwide.
For 60 years, PADI has helped more than 30 million people discover the underwater world. Today, that mission goes far beyond teaching people how to dive. Through conservation programs, citizen science initiatives and a global network of divers taking action around the world, PADI is helping transform ocean tourism into a force for good.
Why TIME Recognized PADI
According to TIME, PADI is helping redefine what dive travel can look like.
Rather than simply encouraging people to visit ocean destinations, we’re creating opportunities for divers to actively protect the places they love exploring.
“PADI is helping redefine dive tourism – not just as seeing the ocean, but safeguarding it,” says TIME. “The world’s largest scuba diving organization… is using its global network as a force for change.”
TIME highlighted several initiatives that contributed to the recognition, including:
- PADI’s global conservation efforts through the PADI AWARE Foundation®
- The PADI Conservation Action Portal, which enables divers to contribute real-world observations that support marine research and policy decisions
- PADI’s influence in shaping more sustainable approaches to dive tourism development around the world
With more than 30 million certifications issued since 1966, PADI is the organization where most divers begin their underwater journey and, increasingly, where they learn how to become ocean advocates too.
Turning Divers Into Ocean Torchbearers
Every dive has the potential to create a deeper connection with the ocean. That connection often inspires action, whether that means participating in marine conservation projects, removing debris underwater, supporting local communities or becoming a citizen scientist for sharks and rays.
Through its mission to create one billion Torchbearers, PADI is empowering divers to move beyond exploration and take meaningful action for ocean protection.
“Being recognized by TIME as an Industry Leader reinforces the influence of our global membership and validates our mission to create a billion Torchbearers who explore and protect the ocean,” said Dr. Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide.
“For six decades, our members have empowered individuals to experience the underwater world, and today that same community is driving real, scalable impact for our blue planet. This honor reflects not only where we’ve been, but where we are going.”
A Milestone During PADI’s 60th Anniversary
This recognition arrives during an especially meaningful year for PADI as the organization celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Over the past six decades, PADI has evolved from a dive training organization into a global community of divers, professionals, dive centers and conservation advocates working together to protect what lies beneath the surface.
From first breaths underwater to ocean-saving action, this recognition reflects how far the dive community has come and where it’s headed next.
Want to be part of the movement? Learn more about PADI, get certified or explore ways to take action through PADI AWARE Foundation and help protect the ocean for future generations.
