18.12.2024
PADI EMEA Ltd.
PADI Celebrates Wins for the Ocean in 2024
Rancho Santa Margarita, California –18 December 2024– PADI® and their global non-profit the AWARE Foundation are thanking the global community of Ocean Torchbearers for their role in helping to create positive ocean change this year.
“The PADI Ocean Torchbearer community is a growing global movement of divers, PADI Professionals, conservation allies, and ocean advocates who are dedicated to protecting the places they love,” says Kristin Valette Wirth, Chief Brand and Membership Officer for PADI Worldwide. “We commend this passionate network of ocean champions that have helped us make significant strides in 2024 toward a healthier, more resilient ocean.”
PADI AWARE Community Grantees have been given financial support to make a tangible impact on ocean health, from large-scale marine debris removal efforts to innovative programs that monitor coral health and create marine protected areas. Going into 2025 PADI will support the next round of grantees through this donation-based program with plans to surpass 2024 giving levels and grant over USD $1M by the end of next year.
PADI collaborated with NOAA to spearhead crucial coral bleaching survey projects in both the Caribbean and Asia Pacific amid the fourth global coral bleaching event. Through PADI’s Adopt the Blue ™ program, PADI Members helped monitor coral bleaching and contribute to scientific research in regions at high risk of coral loss, and the findings will inform future conservation strategies.
PADI continues to represent the scuba diving community at every step of the Global Plastic Treaty development, which aims to reduce marine plastic pollution. More than 10,000 Ocean Torchbearers have signed PADI’s global petition to support negotiations for a strong Global Plastics Treaty and the proposed inclusion of Dive Against Debris – which is the world’s largest underwater marine debris database
In a major victory for marine life, the Maldivian government decided not to resume longline fishing, which poses a significant threat to sharks and rays. This victory was influenced by PADI and PADI AWARE Foundation® on behalf of the global dive community advocating for sustainable fisheries.
PADI is also preparing to launch the Global Shark and Ray Census at the start of 2025, which is designed for Ocean Torchbearers to submit data on shark and ray populations to help get them the legislative protection they deserve.
PADI and Barbados are working together to help protect up to 30 percent of its marine ecosystems. To help support this strategy, PADI worked with local communities to identify future ocean guardians and help train the next generation of divers, teaching over 300 children to swim and adopting 37 sites to track ocean health.
The 10th Annual PADI Women’s Dive Day in July 2024 celebrated female divers and their contributions to creating positive ocean change. Since the launch of PADI Women’s Dive Day a decade ago, the gender gap in diving has been reduced by nearly five percent, with women now accounting for approximately 40 percent of all recreational-level certifications worldwide.
PADI also introduced the first-ever PADI Adaptive Diving Week earlier this month to celebrate the stories of divers who have overcome challenges to explore the ocean and the dedicated dive professionals who are empowering them to do so.
The 2024 Sea Hero of the Year® Erika Lopez is working with the Colombian government to make a management plan that enhances the protection of the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, specifically addressing the illegal fishing that is taking place within the sanctuary.
Ms. Lopez joins an elite group of Sea Heroes , where she was honored during a special ceremony at the DEMA Show in Las Vegas. Sponsored by Seiko, the award honors individuals who have made exceptional contributions to ocean conservation and provides USD $5,000 reward to further their initiatives.
“On behalf of Seiko, we thank Erika Lopez for her outstanding commitment to protecting vulnerable marine habitats,” says Robert Brennan, President of Seiko Watch of America. “We congratulate Erika for receiving this great honor and applaud her dedication to ocean conservation. We wish her success in continuing her important work.”
“2024 has been a year of incredible progress in our shared mission to achieve balance between humanity and the ocean,” says Valette Wirth. “Together, our collective action will continue to drive change for the place we all love so much.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the largest purpose-driven diving organization with a global community of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members and more than 30 million certified divers to date. Committed to our blue planet, PADI makes the wonder of the underwater world accessible to all, empowering people around the world to experience, explore and take meaningful action, as Ocean TorchbearersTM, to protect the world beneath the surface. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle. For divers by divers, PADI is obsessed with transforming lives and, with its global foundation, PADI AWARETM, creating positive ocean change. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM www.padi.com
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