AWARE in Action this Summer

Aware Kids

School is out for many kids and that means summer vacation. Keep them learning with the AWARE Kids program. Receive a free AWARE Kids activity book, membership card and decal for each of your little water lovers and watch them spring into action. They'll read about the exciting world of sharks, coral reefs, kelp forests and more while receiving instructions on how complete AWARE Kids Missions to protect the marine environment. To sign up and find out what's new with AWARE Kids around the world visit www.projectaware.org/kids.

A Day in the Life of a Divemaster: Denea Buckingham

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a PADI Divemaster? Denea Buckingham talks about why she loves her job. Read more here…

Gear, Practice, Training Are the Keys to Successful Self-Rescue in Scuba Diving

At depth, you shouldn’t count on your dive buddy to be arms’ length away when you find yourself in a jam while scuba diving. Learning how to rely on yourself first and your buddy second is going to radically improve your chances for avoiding panic — and maybe even survival.

Diving Doc: Pulmonary Barotrauma

Quick. What’s the first rule you were taught in your Open Water training? If you answered, “Don’t hold your breath,” you’re right. And the reason is lung overexpansion injury.

A PADI Pro’s Search for History: The Kingfisher Project

PADI Diving Society member and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Maj. Joshua Vance found a way to mix his love for the underwater world, his enthusiasm for history, and a career as a pilot for the Marines into a quest to recover a historical World War II plane. Read why Vance became a PADI Pro and how it led him to search for a naval aircraft.

Nondestructive Testing: Inspect the World's Infrastructure

For an unexpected way to see the world, train to be an NDT inspector

PADI Sea the Change Conservation Contest: BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE

The 2011 PADI Sea the Change Conservation contest encouraged both divers and nondivers to grab -video cameras and document their underwater conservation and protection efforts. PADI Divemaster and Diving Society member Seth Greenspan, who is based in New York City, won the first-annual contest for his submission, Documenting -Global Coral Reef Restoration. Greenspan’s video, which details the global decline in healthy coral reefs, as well as several creative international restoration projects, netted him $5,000 for his efforts.

Dive and Protect: New C-cards for 2012

The next time you complete a PADI certification course (or replace a lost certification card) you can become an ocean hero in one simple step: make a small donation to select the Project AWARE version of your card.What happens next? You get a cool picture card to show off your support and 100 percent of your donation supports Project AWARE ocean initiatives to protect the places you love to dive.