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Marine Life & Conservation

Scuba Divers can now become environmentally certified through Green Fins

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The Reef-World Foundation – the international coordinator of Green Fins – is pleased to announce the launch of the new Green Fins Diver e-Course. This new online course is designed to help recreational divers protect coral reefs by learning how to conduct more environmentally friendly dives.

Improving the behaviour of recreational divers is critical for the survival of coral reefs because an average of 70% of divers contact the reef while diving.* What’s more, divers contact the reef an average of 5.79 times per dive and 36% of those who contacted the reef were unaware they did so. The cumulative impact is significant: over one million new divers are certified annually and ‘on-reef’ tourism is valued at USD $19 billion per year. If these millions of divers learn how to be more environmentally aware and have zero impact dives, it would have a huge impact on the protection of our precious coral reefs for future generations.

All divers, whether professional or recreational, can minimise their impact on the ocean by following environmental best practice while diving. The new Green Fins Diver e-Course is the only course which teaches scuba divers how to prevent diving-related damage to coral reefs by following the highest environmental standards, as set out by the Green Fins initiative. It teaches divers how to behave on the reef to prevent them causing environmental damage; helping to protect coral and other marine life one dive at a time. Divers around the world can take this course for just £19 by enrolling here.

Diving related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, is becoming an increasingly significant issue. Even a small breakage from an errant fin kick can cause damage that takes months to recover from; not to mention other negative actions above the water such as littering or buying souvenirs made of marine life. On heavily dived reefs, the cumulative impact of unmanaged tourism can be huge. This damage makes them less likely to survive other local and wider stressors, such as overfishing or run-off from land containing pollutants and plastic debris as well the effects of climate change, such as rising sea temperatures. Research has shown divers who receive environmental information and understand their potential impact on reefs cause significantly less damage to coral.

Following 2019’s successful Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course, the Green Fins Diver e-Course now enables Reef-World to meet the demand for education about sustainable diving from recreational divers. The new course covers straightforward techniques such as best environmental practices from equipment care to underwater photography, above and below the water, which are proven to reduce the level of environmental damage associated with diving.

The course provides divers with three online modules of easy-to-follow content followed by corresponding tests on an intuitive, user-friendly platform:

  • Module 1: an introduction to coral reef biology, global and local threats to the marine environment and the Green Fins approach.
  • Module 2: management techniques above water, such as how to prepare and plan an environmentally friendly dive trip: from booking your trip at home to best practices on the boat and caring for your equipment post dive.

  • Module 3: applying best diving practices below water on every dive, learning tips for diving with the least environmental impact and how to have longer marine life interactions as well as how to be an environmentally responsible underwater photographer. Finally, suggesting ways in which divers can use the best practices they have learned and contribute to citizen science projects.

There is a short test at the end of each module which diver must pass in order to finish the course.

The course is available for £19 and, on completion, students will receive a personalised electronic certificate, which is valid for two years and can be displayed as a stamp of individual awareness. The course content will be updated regularly with the latest industry knowledge about environmental best practice so after two years students are encouraged to retake the course to refresh their skills. The proceeds from course certificates support Reef-World’s work to implement the Green Fins programme around the world. Divers who cannot afford to take the course can apply for the Green Fins Diver e-Course Scholarship Fund to receive the certification free of charge.

Gabriel Grimsditch, marine ecosystems expert at the UN Environment Programme, said: “The Green Fins Diver e-Course is more critical than ever to help ensure the survival of reefs and the diving industry. Divers now have a clear roadmap to champion environmental sustainability as our tourism industries build back better.”

JJ Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “The Green Fins Diver e-Course enables divers from all backgrounds to become more environmentally aware, understand the main environmental threats posed by scuba diving and be able to minimise those threats. We’re so proud of the results from our 2019 course and we’re excited that we can now also meet demand from recreational divers worldwide who want to reduce their negative impact on the coral reefs they visit.”

Green Fins is the only internationally recognised environmental standard for dive and snorkel operators, established through a partnership between the UN Environment Programme and The Reef-World Foundation. Green Fins uses a unique and proven three-pronged approach; green certifications of dive centres, strengthening regulations and environmental education for dive staff, divers and government.

For more information, or to sign up for the Green Fins Diver e-Course, please visit: https://greenfins.net/green-fins-diver/ 

* Figures from Reef-World’s #RedefinetheDive campaign (IYOR 2018). See: https://greenfins.net/news/green-fins-iyor-2018/

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction


Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

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steve backshall

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.

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