Project AWARE

AWARE in Asia Pacific

Take a look at the some of the projects we have funded through our Grant Programme.

Want to know about our projects in Tsunami affected areas?
Click here for the latest information.

What's the dive industry doing to protect its marine environment?
Go to Dive Industry News to find out more.

UNDERWATER IRONERS SET RECORD AND RAISE FUNDS FOR PROJECT AWARE
In March seventy two divers from Melbourne, Victoria in Australia helped break the world record for the most divers ironing underwater. Each diver was required to carry an iron, a board and an item of clothing to iron during the unusual underwater event. (more)

INTERNATIONAL CLEANUP DAY GOES OFF WITH A BIG SPLASH!!
Despite the freezing conditions, large swell and increasing winds, scuba divers and volunteers from Dive Centre Manly, PADI Asia Pacific and Project AWARE were out in force to help cleanup Manly Cove on Saturday 22nd September. (more)

CHILDREN AROUND AUSTRALIA JOIN AWARE KIDS CLUB - CARING FOR OUR BLUE PLANET
A new generation of underwater superheroes are taking action to protect our marine world. Children at 800 primary schools across Australia are speaking out for a healthy planet since joining the AWARE Kids Club, a dedicated programme for children under twelve who want to help protect our oceans. Children as far away as Tom Price in Western Australia, Bulman Community School in the Northern Territory and Mathew Pierce Public School in Baulkham Hills, NSW are caring for our blue planet and taking action. (more)

CALLING ALL BUDDING ARTISTS TO PROTECT SHARKS
Get out your paintbox and be inspired! Use your imagination to enter the ‘Save our Sharks’ children’s painting competition.(more)

PROJECT AWARE PARTNERS WITH SHEPHERD CENTRE
Project AWARE recently partnered with the Shepherd Centre, a charity that helps deaf and hearing-impaired children learn to listen and speak, and travelled to Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia for an AWARE Kids art workshop.(more)

KIDS LEARN "SECRETS OF SEAHORSES"
On Saturday 10th March children at Manly, Sydney, Australia discovered a secret: Secrets of Seahorses. (more)

PROJECT AWARE SAYS THANK YOU TO PADI MEMBERS AND DIVE CENTRES FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN 2006
Project AWARE relies heavily on the support of the PADI Membership to help it achieve its mission. Together we’ve made great strides towards conservation of fragile underwater environments. It would be impossible to name everyone who has supported Project AWARE. (more)

IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? NO, IT'S A GROUP OF AWARE KIDS TO THE RESCUE ONCE AGAIN!
Another group of underwater superheroes have been born at the Asia Dive Expo inSingapore, in the Kids Sea Star Arena, which took place 21-23 April. Taking part in the Project AWARE Underwater World Art Workshop kids from all over Singapore and beyond created several large underwater murals with their favourite underwater creatures and discussed environmental issues that concern them and why its important to conserve underwater environments.(more)

CORAL HEALTH CHARTS NOW AVAILABLE IN CHINESE!
Following on from the success of the CoralWatch Coral Health Charts launched in the Asia Pacific region earlier this year, Project AWARE Foundation, the dive industry’s leading non-profit environmental organisation and CoralWatch, a non-profit research organisation, are pleased to announce that the Coral Health Charts are now available in Traditional Chinese making coral reef monitoring accessible to our Chinese members, supporters and conservationists.(more)

PROJECT AWARE HELP LAUNCH CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY
On Sunday 29th January the Project AWARE team joined forces with Clean Up Australia to officially launch the Clean Up Australia Day event which will be held on 5th March 2006.(more)

THE ECOTOURISM TRAINING CENTER SWINGS INTO ACTION!
After only a short time since the launch of the program in August 2005 the Ecotourism Training Center is up, running and turning heads...(more)

PROJECT AWARE AND PADI STAFF MAKE A SPLASH FOR TRASH!
The Project AWARE and PADI Asia Pacific staff got together on Saturday 17 th September to celebrate International Cleanup Day. The team made a splash for trash by cleaning their local harbour beach, at Manly Cove in Sydney, NSW, Australia. (more)

PROJECT AWARE's GOVERNOR, NEVILLE COLEMAN ESTABLISHES DEVELOPING NATIONS SCHOOL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Education is the key to progress. The kids of the developing nations are in great need of educational resources in order to recognise and understand their natural heritage. I believe we, as the diving community, are in a unique position to provide materials by which school kids and teachers may become more conversant with the ocean and its inhabitants and in so doing, create opportunities towards a better future for all. (more)

REPORT ON STRESS TO CORAL REEFS: PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF CORAL DISEASE AND BLEACHING AT LORD HOWE ISLAND, NSW AUSTRALIA
Corals and coral reefs are increasingly subjected to stress from many natural and human induced causes, resulting in a rapid decline in coral reef cover over the past three decades...(more)

EXCITING NEW VOLUNTEER DIVING OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH CORAL CAY CONSERVATION
Project AWARE is thrilled to bring you yet another exciting new opportunity to become directly involved in conserving our marine environment.(more)

PROJECT AWARE IN ACTION IN INDONESIA
Much has been done in Indonesia since the Tsunami hit on December 26th, the progress has been inspiring and changes for the better are multiplying every day. Project AWARE is very proud to have been a part of these changes by providing funding through our Project AWARE Tsunami Relief Fund. Many local dive centres and divers have rounded together to protect coral reefs and clear away the debris that entered the waters...(more)

ONE FISH, TWO FISH, THREE FISH
GET READY FOR THE HONG KONG BIG FISH COUNT 2005!
Be part of the fantastic fishy fun of HONG KONG BIG FISH COUNT, by joining groups of divers, on October 2nd, 2005 at Pak Sha Wan Pier, Sai Kung, Hong Kong...(more)

DIVERS CALLED TO ACTION TO STOP MARINE PESTS SPREADING!
Marine pests are spreading around the world, but you can help to stop them...(more)

TSUNAMI RELIEF FUND IN ACTION IN THAILAND
We all remember the photos and images on our TV screens of Koh Phi Phi, Khao Lak and Phuket, Thailand after the tsunami had struck. Many of us sat shocked at the images that spilled into our homes. Since that time clean up operations and reef assessments have been well underway and volunteers have mobilised to help restore the region back to its original beauty. (more)

AWARE KIDS GETS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH IMAX 3D SHARKS
Sydney, 19th May 2005 - Project AWARE (Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education) gave teachers something to bite into at the preview of 3D Sharks... (more)

TSUNAMI RELIEF FUND IN ACTION IN SRI LANKA
The Tsunami inflicted substantial damage to several near shore reefs on the southern and eastern coasts of

Sri Lanka

. (more)

DIVE IN TO EARTH DAY 2005 ACTIVITIES IN FULL FORCE ACROSS ASIA PACIFIC
Every year Dive In To Earth Day just gets bigger and better as Project AWARE supporters get involved in activities in their local area from underwater clean ups to fish counts. Here’s a taste of just some of the activities that dive centres in Asia Pacific organised to celebrate their marine environment: (more)

REEF BALL FOUNDATION CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
In response to the recent Tsunami disaster across South East Asia, Project AWARE Foundation has implemented a number of initiatives to assist with the cleanup and restoration efforts in the worst affected regions. (more)

PROJECT AWARE TSUNAMI RELIEF FUND IN ACTION
The Tsunamis that struck the South and Southeast Asia region on Sunday, 26 December 2004 after a massive earthquake below the Indian Ocean off Northwest Sumatra, Indonesia, has become a disaster of enormous proportions. (more)

PROJECT AWARE TSUNAMI RELIEF FUND IN ACTION
In response to the recent Tsunami disaster across South East Asia, Project AWARE Asia Pacific has set up a specific Tsunami Relief Fund to assist with the relief efforts. PADI has provided an initial commitment of $70,000 to aid in the fundraising effort. Every dollar raised through this special relief fund will be directed to environmental cleanup and restoration efforts in the areas affected by the tsunami. The main principle of this separate Project AWARE grant programme is to protect and rehabilitate the natural environment in areas affected by the Tsunami. (more)

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY – DIVERS PUT RUBBISH AWAY FOR GOOD!
In March 6th 2005 over 670,000 volunteers removed more than 8,450 tonnes of rubbish from Australian beaches, parks, streets, bushland and waterways as part of Clean Up Australia Day, the nations largest community based environmental event. (more)

GO ECO IN 2005 - BECOME AN ECO-OPERATOR WITH PROJECT AWARE
Are you a PADI IRRA Dive Centre or Resort?
Are you passionate about environmentally responsible dive practices?
Do you think you've got what it takes to become an Eco-Operator?
Do you want to be recognised as Eco-friendly?
(more)

AWARE KIDS IN ACTION – PROJECT AWARE PARTNERS WITH EDUCATORS
The wait is over. Project AWARE Foundation introduces two new tools for educators making underwater issues easy to teach and exciting to learn. The AWARE Kids Teacher’s Guide and video, helps dive professionals, educators and youth leaders to actively teach aquatic conservation and provide hands-on opportunities to participate in solutions. (more)

MONITOR AND PROTECT YOUR OWN CORAL REEF THE EASY WAY!
With an increase in water temperatures worldwide due to global warming and the ever persistent threat of El Nino, our coral reefs have become subject to coral bleaching. Scientists estimate that 25% of the world's reefs are already dead, 16% of this is due to bleaching. If this trend continues, reefs may be completely lost within the next 30 to 50 years.

To begin the fight to save coral world-wide, scientists need to gain a clearer understanding of the exact reasons why bleaching occurs. This is where PADI dive centres and resorts can make a difference. (more)

CELEBRATE THE SEA FESTIVAL GOES KIDS’ CRAZY - THANKS TO PROJECT AWARE
This year’s Celebrate the SEA Marine Imagery Festival/WET EXPO, was held from 29th July-1 st August, at the National Science Centre, Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia . The event attracted the largest number of underwater image makers since the festival’s inception in 2000. PADI members exhibiting in the WET Expo included Scuba Dynamics and The Divers Den from Malaysia and also West Australia Dive Centre. PADI Asia Pacific has supported the imagery festival for the last 3 years and this year sponsored the event and the CTS Children’s Painting Competition through Project AWARE. (more)

PROJECT AWARE WHALE SHARK PHOTO ID PROJECT EXPANDS TO ASIA PACIFIC
In 2003 Project AWARE UK launched a project that aims to conserve one of the diver’s most loved creatures: the Whale Shark. The project was initially launched in the territory of PADI International Limited located in the United Kingdom . However, the project has been such a huge success that it’s expanding into the Asia Pacific regions and across the globe. (more)

PROJECT AWARE PLAY A KEY ROLE IN UNESCO ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE 2001 CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage took place in Hong Kong on November 18-20, 2003 . Recognising the importance of underwater cultural heritage as an integral part of the cultural heritage of humanity, the Convention was intended to guarantee its preservation through international cooperation. (more)