You can become an eco-diver by following these simple steps at home and when you are on holiday.  

1. Reduce Your Plastic Use.

Reducing your use of plastics is one of the easiest ways to become an eco-diver and has a huge positive impact on the environment. Cutting back on your use of single-use plastics does not just create less plastic waste – which often gets into the oceans and affects marine life. It also reduces the demand for and production of single-use plastics in the first place. Top plastics to swap out: Straws, grocery bags, water bottles, and toothbrushes.

2. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.

Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced through your daily activities. There are many ways you can reduce your carbon footprint both in your everyday life and while traveling. At home. There are so many simple ways you can reduce your carbon footprint at home. Our favourite changes to get you started on your eco-diver journey include:

Driving less, switching off lights when not in use and change to energy-saving lightbulbs. You can calculate your carbon footprint from your travels and offset it with a donation to a conservation organisation, or donate to a tree planting program to help offset your carbon footprint every time you fly.

3. Organise or Join a Clean-Up.

Organising clean-ups is a great and fun way to preserve the aquatic environment with your community. Beach clean-ups are the most obvious to conduct as eco-divers but cleaning up other environments keeps our aquatic world clean and healthy as well! Top places to conduct a clean-up: beaches, lakes, rivers, and streams.  

4. Use Reef-Safe Sunscreen.

Regular sunscreens contain oxybenzone and octinoxate, two UV-blocking chemicals that can cause coral bleaching. Reef-safe or reef-friendly sunscreens are usually zinc-based and do not harm corals, so make sure you stock up on these sunscreens before heading to the tropics. Sunscreen top tip: Reef-safe sunscreens are usually made of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  

5. Be Water-Wise

All water on Earth is connected, so treat it carefully. Being 'water wise' means you are conscious of the water you use and how you treat it. Reduce the amount of water you use by turning water off when it is not needed or putting water butts in your garden, so you can collect rainwater for your plants.

Improve water quality by watching what you put into it: Use non-toxic cleaning products, low-phosphate detergents, and biodegradable soap, shampoo, and conditioner. When traveling, bring a reusable water bottle and stock up on gallon-sized filter water to refill your bottle.

6. Choose Sustainable Dive Gear.

Even the small act of choosing who to buy your dive equipment from can significantly impact the aquatic world. An eco-diver diver chooses to purchase products from companies that try to reduce their carbon footprint and plastic waste. Equipment manufacturers like Mares and Fourth Element have drastically changed their product packaging to include wetsuits wrapped in biodegradable bio-bags and recycled material mask boxes.  

7. Practice Your Buoyancy Skills.

Your main goal as an eco-diver should be to practice your buoyancy on every dive. Having perfect buoyancy helps you to conserve air and have a more relaxed, enjoyable dive. It also keeps you and your dive kit off the reef and protects marine life from harm. Perfect your buoyancy: Start the Perfect Buoyancy Specialty course today!  

8. Take Only Photos, Leave Only Bubbles.

This saying is famous for a reason; because it is true, and it works. Enjoy the beauty and relaxation of your dive, but please, leave behind the seashell souvenirs.

9. Eat Sustainably

Making sure you eat sustainably caught seafood and responsibly grown produce and meat products really help to protect our oceans and land-based environments. Top ways to eat sustainably: Have a meat-free night once a week, and choose to eat locally and organically whenever possible.

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