In the Spotlight

Keiki Sea Campers Cleanup the Shoreline in Kona, Hawaii, USA

June  2010 - The children (keiki) cleanup the shoreline in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii as part of an AWARE Kids program done at Jack's Diving Locker.  Wendy Laros, Director of Junior Programs, states, "The kids love to pick up trash.  It's like a treasure hunt for them!"  Keiki Sea Camp is a week-long day camp for kids ages 6-9 offered during the summer months and school breaks. Campers have a chance to learn about Hawaii's amazing marine life such as coral reefs, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and tide pool critters with hands on activities and art projects.  The kids also have a chance to swim, snorkel, and explore local beaches as well as try SASY (Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youths).  Marine conservation and ocean ecology are hot topics during the week as campers use the AWARE Kids materials and take action by participating in AWARE missions such as "Kids Clean Up!"   

Singapore American School Dive A Thon

June 2010 - Students at Singapore American School wanted to do their part to save the ocean so they held a Dive A Thon fundraiser for Project AWARE. "We successfully held at least four people under the water for the full time - 96 diving hours! Just as a team of students can build a house for people in need, they can also save the homes of myriad fish residing in the world's coral." said student Matt Rees. To make the swimming pool event fun the Dive Club team created activities to do underwater including an obstacle course.  Special thanks to Jessica Schult who organized the activity which raised AU$2000 for underwater conservation.

Ocean Club Conserves in California, USA 

May 2010 - Members of the Ocean Club of Lancaster, CA USA conducted the AWARE Kids mission one, "Kids Cleanup!" at the San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura, CA. At the beach the kids gathered around 20 lbs of debris including a matching pair of socks and shoes and hundreds of small plastic pieces. Members of the Ocean Club also participated in the "Way Cool Water Conservation" mission, tracking their water usage at home for an entire week and making an effort to save water where possible, like taking shorter showers. The group brainstormed to come up with ideas on how they can save water in the future, like collecting rainwater to water plants. Nice work Ocean Club.

Global Underwater Visual Experience Inspires Thousands of Students Across St. Croix

May 2010 - Ziggy Livnat presented "An Interactive Cross-Global Underwater Visual Experience" to over 2500 children throughout St. Croix, coordinated by the St. Croix Environmental Association.  The presentation educated students on the threat litter poses to marine life and the need to preserve the underwater environment. Following the presentation students were interviewed on what they saw and their attitude towards the marine environment. Thank you Ziggy for your inspiring work. 

Geko Dive, Bali inspire kids on Dive for Earth Day 

April 2010 - "Today's Dive for Earth Day cleanup is just the start. We must take responsibility and act now. If we don't do something, who will?" said Cynthia Kasar, Owner of Geko Dive, Bali.  Here, traditional natural materials once used to wrap food have been replaced by plastic but there is no infrastructure or education to deal with the waste.

Geko Dive aim to make local children aware of the problem and enable them to do something about it. "We want to make children enthusiastic and proud to be part of the solution, children have the potential to do so much, and we have the ability to help them," added Cynthia who delivered talks to local schools about reducing, re-using and recycling waste.  All the school children joined the beach and underwater cleanup on 25th April 2010 collecting a truck load of rubbish. Well done!

China Dive Follow AWARE Philosophy

February 2010 - China Dive follows Project AWARE's Ten Ways a Diver Can Protect the Underwater Environment in every aspect of their business. "China Dive will support Project AWARE continually, for a better world," said Guo Yong and the China Dive Crew. Tip of the month in February was "Number 9 - Be a Role Model." During the Chinese Spring Festival China Dive Crew inspired youngsters to be AWARE teaching them about the environment as part of their PADI Discover Scuba Dive Course. The children created beautiful underwater scenes in contrast to pollution and shared the message: "The ocean shows us its colourful beauty bountifully, shall we try our best to protect it?"