PADI AWARE Week 2026

Create Change Above and Below the Surface
PADI AWARE Week 2026: Everybody Can Make a Difference 🌊💙
12–20 September 2026
We love diving because it gives us a front-row seat to one of the most incredible places on Earth — the ocean. But being a diver also means seeing, first-hand, how much our oceans need our help.From 12–20 September 2026, divers and ocean lovers around the world will come together for PADI AWARE Week, a global celebration focused on taking action for the ocean.And the best part? You don't need to be a PADI Professional, a marine biologist or even a regular diver to get involved.There are plenty of ways that you can make a difference during AWARE Week — and many of them are things you can do with your dive buddies, your family, your friends or your local community.
Here are five ways you can get involved this year.
1. Go Diving Against Debris 🤿♻️
One of the most direct ways divers can help is by getting involved in a Dive Against Debris®.Speak to your local dive centre and find out whether they are organising a Dive Against Debris during AWARE Week. Or, if you have a group of dive buddies, why not organise one yourselves?Removing rubbish from the ocean is incredibly rewarding, but there is something even more important happening beneath the surface.
The data matters.
When marine debris is removed and properly recorded, that information contributes to a much bigger picture. It helps researchers and conservation organisations understand what types of rubbish are entering our oceans, where it is accumulating and how the problem is changing over time.PADI AWARE's Conservation Action Portal brings these conservation actions and citizen-science activities together, allowing divers to contribute information that can help inform conservation and policy decisions.So don't just pick up the rubbish — record it, report it and help turn your dive into data that can make a difference.
2. Join a Beach Clean-Up 🏖️
Not everyone can go diving during AWARE Week — and you don't have to.In fact, some of the most important ocean conservation work can happen before rubbish ever reaches the sea.
Plastic bottles, food packaging, fishing line and other waste can easily make their way from streets, rivers and beaches into the ocean. By joining a beach clean-up, you can help stop that rubbish at the source.Grab some friends, organise a clean-up on your local beach or find an existing event in your area.And remember: you don't need to be a diver to care about the ocean.Bring your non-diving friends along too. It's a great way to introduce them to ocean conservation and show them that protecting our seas is something we can all be part of.
3. Look for Sharks & Rays 🦈
This year, PADI AWARE is putting a huge spotlight on one of the ocean's most misunderstood groups of animals: sharks and rays.
The Global Shark & Ray Census gives divers the opportunity to contribute sightings of sharks and rays to a growing global dataset. PADI AWARE says diver-generated data from the Shark & Ray Census, alongside its other citizen-science programmes, is being used to support scientists and policymakers and strengthen protection for sharks and rays.
So the next time you're underwater and a shark, ray or other fascinating elasmobranch swims past, don't just enjoy the moment...
Take note. Record your sighting. Help scientists understand what is happening beneath the surface.AWARE Week 2026 also marks the launch of the Shark & Ray Discovery Challenge, making this a particularly exciting time to start paying closer attention to these amazing animals.
4. Use Your Voice for the Ocean 📣🌍
Ocean conservation isn't only about what happens underwater.Some of the biggest changes need to happen through policy, legislation and international cooperation — and we can all help by making our voices heard.
During AWARE Week, consider supporting key ocean conservation campaigns and petitions.
🧴 Support a Global Plastics Treaty
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and international action is needed to tackle it.Sign the PADI AWARE Plastics Treaty petition and add your voice to the call for stronger global action on plastic pollution.
🌊 Support the High Seas Treaty
The high seas make up a huge proportion of our ocean, yet protecting these waters requires international cooperation.Support the High Seas Treaty campaign and help call for stronger protection of the ocean beyond national borders.It might feel like a small action, but imagine thousands of divers around the world doing the same thing.Your voice adds to the collective pressure for change.
5. Share What You See & Inspire Someone Else 📱💙
Perhaps one of the easiest things you can do is also one of the most powerful:Talk about the ocean.
Share your AWARE Week dive. Post a photo of a beach clean-up. Tell your friends about a shark you encountered. Share a video explaining why marine debris is such a problem.You don't have to be an influencer or create the perfect Instagram Reel.Simply sharing what you've seen and learned can make someone else stop and think.Many people who care about the environment have never experienced the ocean the way divers do. They haven't seen a coral reef, watched a turtle glide past them or discovered just how much life exists beneath the surface.
We have.
That gives us an opportunity — and perhaps even a responsibility — to share that experience.Because your non-diving friends don't have to become divers to become ocean advocates.
You Don't Have to Do Everything — Just Do Something 🌊
AWARE Week isn't about being perfect.You don't have to organise a huge conservation event, spend every day underwater or become an expert in marine science.
Pick the action that feels right for you.Every action adds up.
As divers, we are incredibly lucky to experience the underwater world in a way that many people never will. Let's use that connection to help protect it.
This AWARE Week, let's get involved, get our dive buddies together and show the world that divers aren't just visitors to the ocean.
We're part of its community — and we're here to protect it. 💙🌊
Ready to get involved?
Talk to the team at ABWonderdive about how you can take part in AWARE Week 2026, or keep an eye on our social media for upcoming conservation activities and events.
You can also explore the PADI AWARE Foundation to discover more ways to take action, support ocean conservation and become an Ocean Torchbearer.
12–20 September 2026.One week. Thousands of divers. One ocean.Let's make every action count. 🌊

Visit Us