Sustainable Diving: How To Champion Clean Water

As scuba divers, we’re incredibly lucky to spend so much time exploring our beautiful ocean. Though we roam a whole new world underwater and get up close and personal with some truly spectacular marine life, we also see some of the darker impacts that humans can cause. It’s only fair that we give back by embracing sustainable diving.

Sustainable diving is essential to preserve our oceans for the next generations of divers. One of the most valuable things you can do to achieve this is to champion clean water. Making sure that you are diving and swimming in clean water is a great place to start, but it’s even more important that we do everything we can to make sure that beauty spots stay this way. So if you’re looking to dive more sustainably, here are some top tips.

Visit certified waters

Many groups dedicate a lot of time and energy to promoting and increasing the number of accessible and certified waters. Prioritise exploring these locations and support the work that others have done to keep our waters clean.

Marine parks are a great place to start. They are areas that are protected by governments and have limits on the levels of human activity that can take place. You could also explore designated bathing waters in your local area. Particularly popular for swimmers or local divers, areas with this coveted status are monitored by the Environment Agency so you know the water quality is as good as it should be.

It can be a great idea to visit certified waters with a local expert to maximise all they have to offer. Aquanauts are based in Plymouth, the UK’s first marine park, and with years of expertise when it comes to the clean and breathtaking waters of the Plymouth Sound, a dive with Aquanauts is the perfect way to kickstart your move towards a more sustainable dive.

Make use of clever apps

For the tech-savvy, there are some great apps available to help you engage in sustainable diving. Heavy rainfall and large quantities of sewage and wastewater create some serious problems with water quality all over the UK. Safer Seas & River Service is an app that all of us should download and use as a mark of commitment to keeping our waters clean.

Created by Surfers Against Sewage, it’s a handy way to find clean water in your area and check out how much pollution is about. You can even use Safer Seas & River Service to work towards improving the quality of the water for others, by alerting your local MP of quality issues you spot and flagging your concerns to other app users.

Choose the right equipment

Although there is still some work to be done to improve innovation across all scuba diving equipment, it’s important to make the right choice and choose sustainability when you get new gear. Many brands are starting to offer products made from sustainable materials like plastic, and you can even get equipment that is made out of recycled nets including trendy Waterhaul Sunglasses. Remember to pay attention to the type of packaging that is used when you can. Scubapro are ahead of the game when it comes to packaging that protects the planet, using paper that is 100% recycled and recyclable after use for their Yulex wetsuits.

Fourth Element is at the forefront of sustainable diving equipment and are another fantastic brand to start with. Their Fourth Element Rec Fins are the first scuba diving fins made from recycled plastic and they have also designed equipment that helps warm you up whilst keeping the ocean clean. Though you’d never be able to tell, approximately 50 recycled plastic bottles make up the cosy and lightweight Tidal Robe!

Clear up after yourself, and others

Finally, it goes without saying that you should leave no trace when you grace the ocean. Although it can be easy to slip into bad habits and think that dropping something small won’t make much difference, there would be no clean water left if we all had that mindset.

We’re all too familiar with some of the crazy things that end up in the ocean because of the laziness of others. If you can, go one step further and pick up some of the rubbish you see on your dive. By diving sustainably and cleaning up when you can, you’ll make a positive impact and know that the next generation of divers gets to enjoy the same views that we do. 

At Aquanauts, we are committed to sustainable diving. If you want to find out more about how you can champion clean water, why not get in touch with our experienced team? You can also read more about our commitment to the environment.