Dive sites are vulnerable to a variety of threats, including air and water pollution, invasive species such as zebra mussels and lionfish, destructive fishing practices like blast fishing, and even sunscreen. As the people who observe underwater ecosystems firsthand, we divers are uniquely positioned to assume responsibility for being stewards of the world beneath the surface.
Make It Your Business — Because It Is
Both divers and dive businesses both have vested interests in preserving the underwater environment, as it directly relates to the quality of the sport and the sustainability of the industry. Poor water quality can even pose a health risk to divers, with pollution or toxins in the air or water potentially making a location unsuitable for diving. Even aesthetic impacts have real consequences, with loss of natural beauty making destinations less attractive to visitors and creating economic repercussions because of declining business.
When governing bodies take action in the form of imposed preservation, dive sites become inaccessible due to mandatory closures, whether for safety reasons or to allow the ecosystem to recover from human impact. Divers and dive business owners might prefer that this course of action be avoided, but it may be in the long-term best interest of the area.
If you are a dive operator or dive professional, conduct your activities in an environmentally sustainable way. Develop and implement ecologically sound management practices. Train your staff to be more aware of the importance of protecting the environment and how it directly relates to the sustainability not only of your business but also of the dive industry as a whole. Don’t underestimate the potential for positive impact that you can have by fostering long-lasting environmental awareness.
Be a Role Model
Role modeling is an effective way to take action to help preserve the environment because it can encourage others to change their habits. Implement in-water dive practices that minimize your environmental impact. Divers should strive to leave the environment as they found it, apart from collecting any trash to dispose of after the dive.
Keep your distance from the marine life and any other fragile aspects of the environment. Fin kicks can damage coral reefs, and some organisms build habitats in sediment, which inattentive divers can disturb and displace. Using proper buoyancy and trim decreases the chances that a diver will come into accidental contact with underwater life. Disturbing any underwater creature can stress it or cause it to burn essential calories it must then work to replace, and it may lead to the diver being injured.
When divers act irresponsibly, the environment can degrade. Be proactive about reporting environmental violations to prevent them from recurring. All operators and divers should be held accountable for any actions that negatively affect the dive environment.
Educate Yourself
Whether you want to gain new first aid skills, refine the safety of your dive operation, or better educate your students about dive safety or dive science, DAN has an e-learning course for you. These courses are freely available online to the public and exist for your personal educational benefit.
The DAN Environmental Stewardship for Divers e-learning course explains how divers can minimize their environmental impact, why ecological awareness matters, and details ways that divers can be stewards of the aquatic environment every day. Create a free account, and take the course today at DAN.DiverELearning.com.
Protecting the underwater environment is not an individual effort, but a community one, and success can be achieved only through a shared commitment by local stakeholders — and perhaps by the dive industry as a whole. The choices each of us make are important and will determine the future of our sport.
© Alert Diver – Q2 2025
