We have set the global benchmark in sustainable marine tourism to measurably eliminate its negative impacts on coral reefs and the marine environment.

How we set the standards

In partnership with the UN Environment Programme, we have developed our flagship programme, Green Fins, to define the marine tourism industry benchmark for environmental sustainability. 

Green Fins represents the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling, outlined by a 15-point code of conduct that targets the most common threats and considers the environmental responsibilities of marine tourism operator managers, staff, and tourists.

“This is not some ‘over-the-counter’ accreditation. Their trained staff assessed our dive shop and dive masters on actual dives and made suggestions on how we can improve.”

— Kalle Epp, Green Fins Member manager

How we engage the marine tourism industry

Green Fins takes operators through a collaborative journey to sustainability, and it’s all powered through our groundbreaking global platform, Green Fins Hub.

Here, operators access all the tools they need to create positive lasting changes in their daily operations to protect reefs.

Green Fins Hub was developed with funding from IDB Lab’s Beyond Tourism Challenge.

The path to sustainability isn't a destination but a continuous journey of improvement. Through the Green Fins programme, Reef-World provides the marine tourism industry with the practical tools, expert guidance, and supportive community needed to transform operations year on year and protect our precious marine ecosystems for generations to come.

  • In countries where Green Fins has been adopted as a national programme, operators receive annual in-person assessments from trained assessors to measure compliance with the Code of Conduct. Operators receive environmental training and tailored feedback, highlighting their environmental strengths and critical areas for improvement.

    Membership is awarded once a minimum environmental threshold is reached. Operators receive tiered recognition — Bronze, Silver or Gold — showcasing their level of achievement. Members receive a variety of benefits dependent on their tier, including promotion on the Green Fins website and via our partners.

    More about the assessment system.

  • Available since 2022 through Green Fins Hub, marine tourism businesses anywhere in the world can access a digitised form of membership. An online self-evaluation that gives businesses access to the first step of their sustainability journey, helping them to make improvements straight away. The Hub contains everything they need to evaluate their practices annually, manage their membership and receive tailored feedback on strengths and areas for improvement.

  • All Green Fins members create annual environmental action plans on the Green Fins Hub to implement improvements to their daily operations. This plan is connected to our extensive library of tried and tested solutions for marine tourism operations. This resource contains over 100 practical, cost-effective interventions developed collaboratively with successful members, assessors, and environmental experts.

“In my 15 years in the diving industry, Green Fins is the only thing that is changing the way the diving industry does things.”

—  Julian Hyde, Chief Executive Officer, Reef Check Malaysia

How we increase demand for sustainable tourism 

Transparency is the catalyst that connects sustainable practices with consumer demand. Tourist’s booking decisions send a clear market signal that environmental responsibility matters, encouraging more operators to adopt sustainable practices.

  • The Green Fins website serves as a central resource for environmentally conscious travelers allowing visitors to easily find sustainable dive and snorkel operators. Tourists can browse Green Fins members by location, certification levels and services offered, enabling them to make confident decisions that support ocean conservation while enjoying their dive or snorkel.

    We also partner with training agencies and booking platforms to elevate tourist visibility on businesses that are doing remarkable things for the environment.

  • The demand for sustainable tourism is growing, and we work to support Green Fins Members to access that demand.  We provide all the tools members need to market their environmental credentials to new customers, from social media to membership marketing materials, to boosting Green Fins’ brand awareness and showcasing members at dive and trade shows.

    Our communications team is tapped into current and new industry trends to offer marketing support for Green Fins members to raise their businesses above the rest.

“I appreciated the diving that I did with [a Green Fins Certified Member]. You can immediately tell the difference with a dive shop that was trained under the Green Fins model.”

—  Akiko Hamada-Ano, Tourist

How we curate community support

There is an old proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

The path to sustainability is not easy, but we know that if we unite our stakeholders, then their impact will be greater than we ever imagined. That’s why we created the Green Fins Community Forum — to foster industry collaboration and shared learning to overcome the challenges of changing daily environmental practices. 

The Community Forum is a dynamic space where all Green Fins members, both Digital and Certified, can connect, share their experiences, ask for advice, and access peer-to-peer support from a global network. This includes selected environmental experts who are available to answer questions, provide feedback or seek information from the diving industry to inform their work.

“Green Fins has allowed us to collaborate with dive shops and divers from all over the world. It has made us feel part of a larger community, sharing the challenges and progress of our small, family-run shop with a wider audience.”

—  Rena Hall, Conservation Director,
Silent World Dive Center

“Back in 2008, as young professional divers, we assumed that the environmental standards of the industry were policed internationally. We realised there was (and still is) nothing else like this and so we designed Green Fins to fill that gap.”

— Chloe and JJ Harvey, Reef-World Directors