Chelsea and Emma always had a passion for the ocean. Both were starting their dive careers in a PADI Dive Centre in Malaysia when they felt compelled to act after seeing that the plastic consumption around the world was devouring our oceans and lands at an alarming rate.

Sri Lanka, also known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean, is desperate for change. It's gorgeous coastlines and turquoise clear waters filled with marine life is under a lot of pressure from an increasing amount of unmanaged plastic pollution.

In our new series My Ocean Story, we're getting to know the people of Project AWARE, finding out what drives them and what conservation actions they have in store for 2019!  

Working as a dive instructor in Grand Cayman, Sarah Gauthier saw first-hand the effects pollution was having on the ocean and knew she needed to take action to make a difference. Her challenge was to dive on all seven continents whilst spreading the message of marine conservation and showing that through small changes we can all make a positive impact on the planet. She shares her experience below: 

Trieu Huynh shares Project AWARE’s vision for a clean and healthy ocean. After seeing the effects litter was having on his home island of Bali and the outdoor environment he loves so much, he wanted a way to make a difference. His mission: Get everyone in the water doing their bit to clean up the ocean.

With more than 15 years of experience and a mantra to clean the ocean and fight marine debris all year round, The Blue Ocean Club, can celebrate another successful year of taking action for the ocean.

In this interview Zara Ellis, Dive Operations Manager at Gili Shark Conservation tells us more about the project, what it’s achieving and how you can get involved on your next trip to the Gili Islands.

With a passion for sports and travel and a love for the ocean, Karolina from Poland and Marina from Spain wanted to set themselves a challenge that would combine doing what they loved with making a difference.

Tómmi Knúts began diving in Iceland in 1973 and from then on developed an extensive career as a diving professional. After establishing Iceland’s first PADI dive centre, DIVE.IS in 1998, he spent the following ten years teaching students the wonders of the underwater world and

Jack Fishman, Project AWARE’s Community Conservation Officer, zooms in on Curaçao to share inspiring local community actions led in support of the global AWARE Week and World Cleanup Day celebrations.