About the Course

Make a difference for yourself and others by learning and applying tips to save the ocean. The PADI AWARE Specialty course equips you with tangible actions and opportunities to bring about positive ocean change.

Supported by PADI eLearning®, this course dismantles the barriers between diving and conservation, making responsible marine conservation accessible to all.

A portion of the proceeds from every PADI AWARE Foundation™ course funds AWARE’s critical conservation work to remove marine debris, secure protection for sharks & rays, expand marine protected areas, and support local grantees.

Take This Course If You Want to
  • Become part of the PADI AWARE movement and protect the underwater world
  • Understand the 10 Tips to Save The Ocean
  • Participate in informative and exciting “Take Action” workshops
  • Develop an action plan for ocean conservation and marine animal protection
Learn How to
  • Understand and recognize the key ocean threats
  • Take responsible underwater images and build a conservation-focused media presence
  • Engage in conservation action for global impact
  • Become an Eco-Tourist

How to Earn Your PADI AWARE Specialty Certification

During the self-study eLearning portion of this course, you’ll learn the 10 Tips to Save the Ocean and how to make a positive impact for the underwater world. Next, turn your passion into purpose by completing the 10 Tips Workshops with a highly trained PADI Professional. You can go to your local dive center and complete the workshops there, or opt for a fully virtual experience via two-way video online learning with participating dive centers/PADI Pros to complete your PADI AWARE Specialty Certification.

The PADI Difference

For over 50 years, PADI has undeniably been the Way the World Learns to Dive®, setting the standard for the highest quality dive training, underwater safety and conservation initiatives while evolving the sport of diving into a passionate lifestyle.

30,000,000+

(and counting) PADI certified divers to date!

6,600

PADI dive centers and resorts across the globe

128,000

PADI Professional members worldwide

More Info

 
Gifting and Sharing Courses

Want to share the experience or give the gift of endless adventure? You can now purchase PADI eLearning® and share it with a recipient of your choice! Whether you are purchasing the course as a gift or need to assign it to family members – it’s super easy.

  1. Purchase an eLearning course.
  2. Follow the link in your confirmation email or sign into your account to go to your Dashboard.
  3. From your Dashboard go to 'Manage Your Courses' section.
  4. Select the course you'd like to gift and enter the email of the gift recipient.
  5. The recipient will receive an email to start the eLearning course.
 
Prerequisites & Minimum Age

Any age, any diving experience level (including none), and any person anywhere, can take this course, you only need a passion for saving the ocean and protecting the underwater world. You can even get credit from the convenience of home via two-way video conference learning!

 
Choosing a Dive Shop

There are two parts to this certification: knowledge development and take action workshops. You can complete both parts locally, while traveling, and even remotely via two-way video communication, or split between the three methods.

Consider choosing a PADI Eco-Center for your learning experience, or a dive center that practices environmental stewardship and takes conservation action.

Choose a dive shop close to home to:

  • Support your local diving community
  • Meet other divers in your area
  • Learn about your local ecosystem
  • Protect the underwater world

Choose a dive shop away from home if you:

  • Plan to travel to a dive destination on holiday
  • Like to meet new people when traveling
  • Have the time to complete your course while on vacation
  • Want to add conservation value to your vacation

Choose a virtual experience if you:

  • Want to make a difference from the convenience of your home
  • Like the flexibility of learning at home
  • Don’t have the time to complete your course while on vacation

TIP: Complete the PADI AWARE Specialty eLearning before travel to minimize the amount of time spent studying on vacation.

 
Time Commitment

PADI eLearning: 1-2 hours

Entire course: 1-2 days

 
Available Languages
English, Espanol, Português, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Русский язык, 中文繁体, 中文简体
 
System Requirements

PADI's online courses are designed to work on the browsers listed below. For the best experience, make sure your browser is up-to-date.

  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Edge
  • Firefox

If you plan to be somewhere without internet access, use the PADI Training app to download course content and study offline. Content can be downloaded in small sections with a total file size of approximately 1.10 GB. When you get back online, upload your progress so you can resume your training right where you left off.

The PADI Training app is available for Android™ and Apple® iOS devices. For the ideal experience, devices should be no more than three models old and running with the most current OS (operating system).

 
After this course

The PADI AWARE Specialty course may count toward the elite Master Scuba Diver™ rating – ask your instructor about earning credit.

You will have the tools to protect the underwater world and inspire others to take action.

Consider taking the plunge, and become a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Freediver or PADI Mermaid at a PADI dive shop near you.

For certified divers, check out other PADI AWARE Specialty courses – Coral Reef Conservation, AWARE Shark & Ray Conservation Course, and the Dive Against Debris® Specialty.

More Courses

Continuing-Education
Fish Identification
Enjoy dives even more when you can recognize and identify fish families and their characteristics.
Continuing-Education
Dive Against Debris
Become a citizen scientist and learn how to properly conduct an underwater survey and marine debris cleanups to keep your favorite dive sites clean.
Continuing-Education
AWARE Shark Conservation
Sharks are an essential part of a healthy ocean. This course explores why they are vulnerable, the importance of a healthy shark population, managing threats and how to take action to protect them.