I Knowing the environment

Before diving

• Get informed about ecology of the more common species you are going to come across.
• Know how to identify the threatened and the protected species.

While diving

• Use submersible identification charts to recognize the sea species.
• Use submersible notepads to draw and note your observations and questions.

After diving

• Ask your dive master about your observations based on the drawings and notes taken while diving.
• Ask your diving school for guide charts and books about sea life, compare your observations with these. Get information from marine biologists.
• Report your observations in a note-book. Thus you will be able to notice differences between the environments and take note of the changes in the population through the seasons and the evolution of a specific place through the passing of time.

II. Reducing your impact on the environment

Before diving

• Do not throw anything overboard, including cigarette filters.

While diving

• Respect the paths going to the sea
• Avoid shuffling the launching area too much and the sea bed if there is a sea grass habitat, coral or seaweed.
• If possible, start your dive from a sandy or pebble beach, less “sensitive” than aquatic plant, corals or seaweed zones.
• Swim as soon as possible in order to avoid the contact between your fins and the bottom.
• Adapt your buoyancy to be neutral.
• Be careful not to hit the fixed plants and animals.
• Avoid hooking yourself on the bottom, the animals or the plants.
• Do not lean on the bottom to resurface.
• Look but do not bother the met animals.
• Do not feed the animals.
• Do not break or collect anything.
• Put stones back after having moved them.
• Do not chase after big animals : dolphins, tortoises or whale sharks. Take your time. Stay quiet, they will feel confident. Let them come to you. Do not touch them.
• Pick up plastic bags and things found while diving.

After diving

• Do not throw anything overboard. Bring back your waste.
• Keep your used batteries and put them in a recycling container. Bring them home if you are on holiday in a country where there is no selective sorting for waste.
• Use reusable plates, glasses and cutlery instead of disposable plastic ones.
• Use biodegradable soap and dish soap.
• Use the rinsing tank for your diving equipment. Snorkelling equipments does not need to be rinsed thoroughly every day.
• Save fresh water by staying a shorter time under the shower.
• Encourage the others not to waste fresh water.

III. Protecting and taking actions to protect

Before diving

• Prefer diving schools which take actions to protect sea life.
• Prefer a company concerned about environment protection.
• Prefer diving schools which use rinsing tanks and showers with a controlled flow.
• Support an ethic charter.
• Ask your family and relatives to respect environment.
• Share your experience with people who do not know the sea environment.

While diving

• Respect your environment and, through your behaviour, become a model.

After diving

• Require that your services providers save fresh water as much as possible. Encourage the other apnoea divers not to waste it.
• Do not buy souvenirs ripped from the sea : shark teeth, corals, shellfish, tortoise shell etc..
• Refuse all useless wrapping.
• Ask for dustbins and ashtrays on the boat and around your diving school.