PADI and The Ocean Cleanup join forces

The Ocean Cleanup, PADI^® and PADI AWARE Foundation have announced a global partnership to tackle ocean plastic pollution. The project pairs The Ocean Cleanup’s advanced technologies with the dive community’s passion to introduce ocean-friendly waste management policies around the world.

As well as mobilising local divers in the ocean cleanup efforts, solutions to prevent plastic waste in the top 1,000 most polluting rivers from reaching the seas will be used. Through the installation of solar-powered Interceptors, which remove floating garbage, The Ocean Cleanup aims to stop 80% of riverine plastic pollution from entering the ocean.

PADI’s global network of dive centres, divers, and other ocean advocates will participate in regular debris surveys, both at the surface and underwater, in areas near the Interceptors and the surrounding oceanic dive sites. It’s said that the data collected, including the amount and type of plastic pollution found, will provide valuable insights for worldwide governments to establish policies regarding solid waste management.

“We’re excited to be working together with the world’s leading diving organisation,” says Dan Leahy, chief development officer of The Ocean Cleanup. “Their passion for clean oceans creates a natural fit between our organisations, and I’m delighted we can scale our data and research capability through their dedicated community of divers.”

The joint citizen science campaign will be trialled this year in the Klang River, Malaysia, where an Interceptor will be placed. PADI dive shops in the vicinity will work closely with local partners and the government to collect data from the waters through regular river, ocean surface, and seafloor surveys. The PADI AWARE Foundation‘s Community Grant program will help provide resource support during the implementation of the project.

It is thought that the project in Malaysia will set the precedent for future efforts worldwide in one of the most ambitious citizen science projects ever taken on by the dive community. If the pilot is successful, PADI and The Ocean Cleanup will establish future missions near heavily polluting waterways around the world, including areas of Indonesia, Vietnam, the USA and Thailand, and ultimately in the 186 countries around the world where PADI operates.

Drew Richardson, president and CEO of PADI, says: “The success of preventative and lasting solutions on a global scale will only be possible through local community engagement.”