Eco-Friendly Diving: How to Be a Sustainable Scuba Advocate
Understand the environmental impacts of diving and sustainable scuba practices in this comprehensive guide to eco-friendly diving.
Any diver will tell you that being underwater is an incredible experience. It’s a world that not everyone has the opportunity to explore and the encounters we have with marine creatures can be life-changing.
Watching manta rays soar just centimetres above our heads and getting up close to tiny orangutan crabs are experiences that will stay with us forever.
That being said, we’re all too aware that our underwater adventures can have a negative impact on marine ecosystems and threaten their long-term survival.
Whether it’s inadvertently damaging corals, scaring marine creatures or releasing pollution from dive boats and liveaboards, scuba trips are not always sustainably run. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this firsthand.
As divers, we believe that we have a responsibility to preserve the marine life and underwater ecosystems in which we play, not only for others to enjoy but also for their intrinsic value. How do we do that?
In this guide, discover some of the steps you can take to be a sustainable diver and a few of the eco-friendly diving practices we should all be following.
As an ocean ally, your actions help preserve marine life and create lasting economic opportunities for local communities through sustainable diving.
Want to plan an eco-conscious dive vacation? Discover some of the world’s best eco-friendly dive resorts or these sustainable dive destinations.
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Understanding the environmental impacts of diving
While most divers head underwater with the best intentions, their actions can have negative impacts. You might be causing damage without even realising it!
Research conducted by Australia’s Southern Cross University showed that heavily dived underwater sites often have reduced coral cover and/or an increasing dominance of more resilient coral species.
Over time, this can negatively impact species diversity. Ultimately, it makes the reefs less able to survive severe weather events and disease outbreaks. When coral reefs are already on the decline, this is something we most definitely don’t want to happen!
Unfortunately, poorly managed dive trips can result in structural damage to corals. This is done either by divers and their fins, the release of anchors and/or boats grounding on reefs.
If corals are damaged at a rate faster than they can recover (which is often the case), the long-term impact will be reef degradation and loss.
Dive activities can also lead to a decrease in water quality and the raising of particulate material into the water column as sediment is disturbed. This might be during stabilisation for underwater photography or by fins scraping along the ocean floor.
A decrease in water quality in and around popular dive sites may also result from the leaching of wastewater and/or toxic substances from dive vessels and resorts. Over time, this contributes to water pollution and detrimental nutrient enrichment, which can have knock-on effects for underwater communities.
Can tourism actually help to save coral reefs? Discover 5 destinations that are getting it right.
Sustainable diving: what is it and how can you play a part?
Eco-friendly diving is all about being aware of the potential impacts of scuba diving and avoiding any negative actions. At the end of the day, it’s about making a concerted effort to leave marine environments in a better condition than you found them.
This means not touching or feeding marine life, even if it might enhance the encounter (for you, at least). This can disturb the ecosystem’s delicate balance, alter natural behaviours or cause unnecessary stress for species.
While it can be tempting to reach out and touch, handling marine creatures can damage their protective mucus layer and lead to infections.
Sustainable diving also means using mineral-based, reef-safe sunscreens that won’t degrade the water quality. Chemical-laden sunscreens are doing more damage than you might think!
As a diver, improving your buoyancy control is one of the simplest ways you can avoid damaging reefs and other marine structures. When you have your buoyancy under control, you are less likely to have collisions – corals can take years to repair.
It may take a little bit of time to hone your buoyancy control, but not doing so can have catastrophic effects.
Most importantly, only dive with operators who are committed to sustainable diving practices and put marine life before profits. Avoid dive shops, resorts or liveaboards that encourage the handling of marine life or feeding to attract large pelagic species.
Look for eco-friendly dive resorts that avoid single-use plastics. Unfortunately, these can end up clogging our waterways, strangling marine life and breaking down into microplastics, which are so pervasive they’re even showing up in human tissues.
Sustainably-run dive resorts should have a clear plan for the responsible disposal of waste and be active when it comes to recycling.
At all times, practice Leave No Trace principles and take only memories (and perhaps photos) of your dives with you. Always show respect for the marine environments you’re exploring, just as you would want others to respect your home.
Some dive operators will clearly state on their website exactly what they are doing to preserve the marine environments in which they work. If not, don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more questions you ask, the more dive shops and resorts will realise that sustainable practices are a high priority for guests.
If you’re looking for eco-friendly dive experiences around the globe, our collection of articles highlights sustainable scuba adventures from Asia to Africa, Oceania and the Americas.
Support marine conservation efforts
If you want to take it one step further and help protect marine life outside of your recreational diving activities, there are plenty of marine conservation organisations to support.
Most of these rely on the donations of individuals or hands-on volunteers to carry out their vital work. Some run coral planting projects, others host underwater cleanups and many send out newsletters highlighting current issues. It’s a great way to stay informed!
Additionally, you can check to see if there are groups in your local community that are participating in clean-up dives or helping to remove invasive marine species. It will connect you with local divers and like-minded environmental activists.
Wherever possible, support the creation of marine protected areas and spread awareness about conservation issues impacting our oceans with your family and friends. The more people who are talking about these issues, the greater chance we have of preserving our underwater environments.
PADI AWARE and Green Fins are two organisations dedicated to preserving oceans and marine life, and both welcome community support. Additionally, you can opt to stay at dive resorts that have been certified by Green Fins (they’ve done the sustainability checks for you).
Want to learn more about the issues impacting our ocean ecosystems? Check out our collection of marine conservation articles here.
FAQs about eco-friendly diving
How can you dive sustainably?
There are lots of easy steps you can take to be an eco-friendly diver. This includes using reef-safe sunscreen whenever you are in ocean environments.
Practice Leave No Trace principles and collect any trash you see underwater (and dispose of it responsibly).
Avoid using single-use plastics and non-recyclable products in your day-to-day life. Instead, opt for biodegradable alternatives.
As part of your ongoing dive education, hone your buoyancy skills so you are less likely to damage marine ecosystems. And never touch marine life, no matter how close it comes to you.
Only ever dive with eco-friendly dive resorts, liveaboards and schools that are committed to preserving our marine environments.
What is eco-friendly diving?
Eco-friendly diving is an approach to underwater exploration that focuses on preserving marine ecosystems. It’s about leaving them in the same condition you found them in…or better!
Sustainable diving is about upholding behaviours that don’t have a negative impact on marine life and encouraging others to do the same.
By being a responsible diver, you’re giving future generations the best chance of being able to enjoy the same environments. It will also ensure that local communities that rely on dive tourism have a sustainable future.
Marine ecosystems should also be preserved for their intrinsic value, independent of the benefits they bring to humans.
Where are the best places to go for an eco-friendly dive vacation?
There are countless dive resorts, schools and liveaboards around the world that are committed to sustainable diving, making it easy to plan an eco-friendly dive holiday.
Whether you want to dive in Southeast Asia, Africa or Oceania, there are inspiring dive operators helping you do it responsibly.
One destination that stands out is Raja Ampat in Indonesia. Here, more than 11,540 square kilometres of ocean have been designated within locally-managed marine protected areas.
Most of the dive resorts and homestays here are sustainably run. Many work closely with local communities to ensure everyone benefits from dive tourism.
Sipadan Island is another good choice. This Malaysian dive destination has implemented a permit system to limit the number of divers on the reefs.
After implementing a ban on single-use plastics in 2022, the Caribbean island of Bonaire is also doing its bit to reduce pollution in our oceans and preserve local marine ecosystems.
Want to learn more about Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and what sets them apart? Check out our detailed explainer here.
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About the authors
We are a team of passionate divers and surfers with decades of combined experience in the water and travelling to all corners of the globe. After years of chasing waves and descending into the deep blue, we’ve created this resource to highlight sustainably run surf camps, eco-friendly dive resorts and conservation-focused ocean trips to help inspire your next adventure.
Eco Ocean Escapes was born out of a love of the ocean, an obsession with travel and a concern about the impacts of our adventures on the environments we explore. Despite the benefits that surf and dive tourism can bring to local communities, we recognised that ocean-based adventures are not always managed in a sustainable manner.
Through our articles, we hope to inspire those seeking a responsible surf or dive trip that is all about supporting local communities, preserving our coastal environments and the incredible marine species that inhabit our oceans.
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We are a team of passionate divers and surfers with decades of combined experience in the water and travelling to all corners of the globe.
After years of chasing waves and descending into the deep blue, we’ve created this resource to highlight sustainable surf camps, eco-dive resorts and conservation-focused ocean trips to help inspire your next adventure.
Eco Ocean Escapes was born out of a love of the ocean, an obsession with travel and a concern about the impacts of our adventures on the environments we explore.
