A 2022 Reef-World survey revealed that divers want more environmental education whilst on vacation and are willing to pay more for dive adventures that give back to the ocean and operate sustainably.
What’s holding you back from spending is the risk of contributing money towards “greenwashing”. That is, a business that presents itself as environmentally friendly but in reality, is not.
The global dive community was asking for a transparent, trustworthy and ambitious global eco label that addresses greenwashing fears and makes identification of “green” operators less of a challenge.
In response, PADI Eco Center™ was born.
There are three criteria that a PADI Operators must meet to qualify as a PADI Eco Center:
- Participation in the PADI AWARE Adopt the Blue™ program
- Be an active Green Fins Member
- Demonstrate an exemplary level of environmental performance, through the above programs
These requirements were selected to advance the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action and support the PADI Pillars of Change. They are designed to integrate the core values of conservation and dive industry sustainability across the entire PADI network.
To help you get to grips with this new and challenging PADI accreditation (which helped to land PADI among the most innovative companies in 2024), here are five things to understand about PADI Eco Centers.
1. They are a Hub for Diver-Led Conservation Action
All PADI Eco Centers are part of PADI AWARE’s Adopt the Blue network. This is the world’s largest network of underwater sites for conservation, led by over 1,000 PADI Dive Centers, Resorts and Professionals all over the world.
Participating Adopt the Blue Dive Centers and Resorts are the place to go if you want to take a PADI AWARE conservation course and/or become a citizen scientist. With simple guidance, any diver can contribute critical underwater data that is vital to enabling better conservation policies at local, national and international level.
Adopt the Blue participants offer conservation activities and opportunities to get involved in tackling our ocean’s greatest challenges, like marine debris, shark and coral conservation, climate change and the development of new marine protected areas.
“Whale Defender is a PADI Distinctive Specialty we created to help divers and non-divers alike learn more about the gentle giants that visit our waters and how they play such a critical role in the health of our planet. We host a multitude of other conservation activities too. From shorter events such as our monthly Dive Against Debris dives, marine life census data collection, or sea turtle releases with local scientists, to the multi-day citizen science expeditions Dive Ninja was founded on.” ~ Jay Clue, Owner of PADI Eco Center Dive Ninja Expeditions, Mexico
2. They are Actively Committed to Sustainable Diving Principles
As Green Fins Members, PADI Eco Centers agree to follow the Green Fins Code of Conduct and commit to a series of actions each year to improve their environmental sustainability. Green Fins is the world’s first independent certificate to address the environmental impact of marine-based tourism, and promotes diver best practice to protect ecosystems and enable better marine life encounters now and in the future.
The Green Fins membership process is based on almost two decades of work alongside dive operators aimed at real-world impact with proven results year on year, avoiding the risk of providing an eco-label built upon greenwashing. When you see the Green Fins label, you can be sure that this dive business is part of a global network of dive operators dedicated to improving the environmental standards of our entire industry.
“We shifted our core focus to environmental and conservation issues because we care and, as dive professionals, we feel it’s our duty to educate and preserve the oceans for future generations of divers to enjoy.”~ Michelle Holland, Dive Centre Manager at PADI Eco Center Excel Scuba Tenerife
3. They are the Very Best of PADI’s Environmentally-Committed Dive Centers
To be recognized as a PADI Eco Center, each operator has met a challenging threshold of environmental performance. Environmental performance is monitored by The Reef-World Foundation who operates the Green Fins initiative in partnership with the UN Environment Programme, providing transparency, world-leading expertise and external validation to each PADI Eco Center’s efforts and sustainability successes.
PADI Members who demonstrate an exemplary level of environmental best practice are reported to PADI as having met the challenging threshold for PADI Eco Center. This threshold indicates an exemplary level of environmental performance and is a safe choice for any diver wanting to ensure that the cost of their dive trip goes hand in hand with the protection of marine habitats.
“Running a dive center puts us on the front lines as protectors of the reefs. When you’re in the very center of nature, it’s important to make your footprints as small as possible. In a perfect world, the reefs should benefit from dive tourism rather than lose out.” ~ Magnus M. Nielsen, Owner of PADI Eco Center Bongo Bongo Divers, The Philippines
4. They are Trustworthy and Consistent, Regardless of Location
All PADI Eco Centers have achieved their status through true dedication to sustainable principles over a number of years. All have met the same criteria, so you can expect the same level of environmental performance from every last one of them.
But with so much variety in local circumstances, how is this even possible? It’s true that the journey to sustainability within a dive center is never one size fits all, it must be flexible and tailored to the operator’s resources, services and location. However, thanks to the intricate assessment and monitoring system at Green Fins, each operator is looked at holistically. That means that while the actions to reach a level of exemplary environmental performance may vary, the achievement threshold for PADI Eco Center is consistent and fair for all PADI Members across the planet.
“Green Fins has allowed us to collaborate with dive shops and divers globally. Being able to share the challenges and progression of our small family-owned shop has made us feel like part of a bigger community.” ~ Rena Hall, Director of Conservation at PADI Eco Center Silent World Dive Center, Florida
5. They are a Place to Connect with Conservation-Minded Dive Professionals
All PADI Eco Centers have embedded a culture of conservation and sustainability, which means educating all staff and attracting a team who identify with the PADI Eco Center ethos. That makes PADI Eco Centers a great choice for divers looking to dive and learn with PADI Dive Professionals who are dedicated to ocean change and can provide an elevated level of environmental education whilst on vacation.
“Our team is highly-motivated and takes great pride in knowing they are trained to follow the highest code of conduct in the industry. We go above and beyond with weekly workshops, training, certification programs, etc. We believe this investment in our employees and team has earned us a great reputation and allowed us to retain our team – who share the pride of being part of our success story.” ~ Robert Scales, Owner of PADI Eco Center Ceningan Divers, Indonesia
Discover the global network of PADI Eco Centers on the PADI Dive Shop Locator.
