As dive shops, what can you do?
Be teachers of the sea – you can set the tone of what you expect from your customers before they even book with
you. Highlight your environmental rules on your website, add them to your liability form and ensure your guides repeat them during the briefings. Your staff are role models for the guests. What they do and allow, the customers will copy. Any bad habits picked up will be imposed on many reefs for their entire diving career, but good habits will last a life time!
Use the right tools – The newly released Green Fins Toolbox is a collection of over ten years’ experience from working
with over 400 dive centres to apply environmental standards without compromising your customer’s experience. From recipes for environmental cleaning products to posters to educate and engage your guests to helping you protect the reefs, the Green Fins Toolbox houses a suite of free materials ready to download now! (www.greenfins.net/downloads)
Become a Green Fins member – Green Fins members are dive and snorkel operators who have agreed to abide by
the 15-point code of conduct and reduce their environmental impacts. They are supported annually by qualified Green Fins assessors who assess compliance above and below the water, and provide training and recommendations to improve compliance to the code of conduct. Members are promoted online and throughout conservation and tourism networks. Membership is free and there are active assessor teams in the Philippines, the Maldives, Malaysia and Vietnam.
If you aren’t based near an assessor team, you don’t have to miss out – the Green Fins Dive Centre Handbook (www.charitycheckout.co.uk/1104487/greenfinsOHB1) is your guide to implementing best practices created with the diving industry, for the diving industry. A small fee of US$28 / GBP£20 is required as a donation to the technical team at Reef-World who are behind the Green Fins success.
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