Introduction
The Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course is a free online course for dive professionals that was designed and launched by Reef-World in 2019 with the help of Professional SCUBA Schools International (PSS). To date, over 1,800 dive instructors and guides from around the world have enrolled in the course to learn about the marine ecosystems in which they work and put the Green Fins Code of Conduct into practice in their workplace.
The course was created to give individuals the knowledge and power to enforce Green Fins' environmentally friendly diving practices (and become part of the growing Green Fins network) without having to be affiliated with a dive centre that is a Green Fins Member.
As part of the suite of digital tools available to the general public, this course is one of two e-courses available on the Green Fins website. In 2021, Reef-World launched the Green Fins Diver e-Course, that provides similar information about marine conservation, but this time targeted towards individual dive customers, rather than the pros guiding or teaching them.
Each year the e-course goes through a content update, and Reef-World recommends that participants retake the course every two years in order to stay up to date with key industry problems and solutions.
This blog is going to look into the importance of refreshing dive professionals’ environmental knowledge and some key attributes to why it continues to be such an important tool.
What’s new in the Dive Guide e-Course?
An enhanced marine biology section
What are corals? What are the different types of corals? Why are they important? And what are the biggest threats to coral reefs? These are some of the questions that the course now answers. Dive professionals can use this module to increase their knowledge about coral biology and the benefits that coral reefs bring to marine creatures and humans alike.
Instructors and guides work amongst coral reefs or other marine ecosystems every day. However, concepts of marine biology are often thought to be too complicated or inaccessible. Here at Reef-World, we wanted to debunk the myth that only people that have undergone years of academic study can understand marine biology. The Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course breaks down complex scientific concepts into easily digestible and interesting pieces of information, proving that anyone and everyone can learn marine biology and the importance of marine conservation.
Key dive and conservation industry updates
Each annual update includes new dive industry information from a range of reputable sources, such as dive industry professionals, marine biologists and governments.
We’ve extended a section on conducting pre-dive and boat briefings, with more focus on how to communicate (as well as what) to make long term environmental changes to influence guests as much as possible!
Additional ‘top tip’, ‘definition’ and ‘did you know?’ boxes throughout the course have useful information from over 10 years of experience in easy to understand and eye-catching layout. These changes, plus many more, have enhanced our goal of providing dive professionals with useful tools to share the Green Fins mission with their customer base.
Introduction of a 2-year certificate expiry
Just as with safety, it’s important for dive instructors and guides to regularly refresh their knowledge about best environmental practice. That’s why we recommend that dive professionals take this course every two years to stay up to date. The validity of certificates will mirror this, and dive pros will have to purchase a new certificate every two years. Not only will this mean they can have a useful tool to show to employers, but they will be financially supporting the Green Fins initiative globally.
The new certificate expiry also aims to prompt dive professionals to refresh knowledge regularly. If we have learned anything in the past little while, it’s that a lot can change within two years! Each update includes the latest information about conservation science so participants will learn something new every time they retake the course. A great example of one of our industry updates is the new findings about sunscreen and its harmful effects on coral reefs. Recent lab studies have shown a potential severe impact from certain chemicals in regular sunscreen. The course content highlights the issue and offers cheap and accessible solutions to combat the threat.
Why is the Dive Guide e-Course an important tool?
The Green Fins Dive Guide e-Course is unrivalled; it remains the only environmentally accredited course for dive professionals to learn best environmental practice. Although the course is best suited for dive guides and instructors, any type of marine tourism professional can benefit from the diverse content - from boat staff to resort and centre owners. Due to this, our annual updates are essential in order to provide the audience with relevant information that is not available anywhere else.
Here at Reef-World, we are extremely proud of the Green Fins network: a community of like-minded businesses, nonprofits and government bodies that are joined together by their interest in reducing the impact of marine tourism on the environment. This course allows dive professionals to also join the network, this time as individuals. Upon finishing the course, professionals also have an opportunity to purchase a certificate for $25 as proof of their environmental investment to show to peers and potential new employers, assisting guides and instructors to get meaningful employment.
The course is also an important way of raising awareness about the Green Fins initiative around the world. Guides who work closely with coral reefs and other marine ecosystems can promote best practices every single day in their profession. Being a small team here at Reef-World, it is extremely helpful for our mission to protect reefs to have thousands of environmental ambassadors supporting Green Fins. It really does make a difference!
It is important to us that everyone has the chance to access the course, and that is why it is listed as free in the first place. Despite there being a charge of $25 for the certificate, the Andrea Leeman Dive Guide Scholarship Fund is still available to those who are unable to pay for a certificate. Individuals must pass a certain criteria to be accepted as a scholar, which is dependent on their country of residence, inability for them or their employer to pay for the course and they must have already finished the course before applying.
Are you either a dive professional ready to take the course, know someone who would benefit from taking the course or a non-professional diver that would like to take the Green Fins Diver e-Course?