What is Green Fins? Sustainable marine tourism in action

ByEcoOceanEscapes

Want to reduce your environmental impact while diving and snorkelling? Discover everything you need to know about Green Fins and the certification process for operators.

Our coral reefs are amazingly biodiverse and teeming with life, home to species found nowhere else in our oceans. But as magical as they are, scuba diving and snorkelling can damage these fragile ecosystems if not done responsibly.

Enter Green Fins, an initiative helping the marine tourism industry across Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean to make sustainability a priority. It has played an important role in implementing environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry.

Established by the Reef-World Foundation and UN Environment, Green Fins has proven to be an effective ocean ally. In particular, it has done important work in reducing the negative impacts of anchoring, fish feeding and pollution.

Through a code of conduct covering 15 key areas, Green Fins partners with communities and governments to implement practices that protect marine habitats. It also collaborates with businesses, such as dive resorts and centres, to help minimise their environmental impact.

By following simple guidelines, such as checking equipment for leaks, respecting no-anchor zones and avoiding contact with coral, dive operators can conduct sustainable underwater adventures. Essentially, they are being empowered to make positive changes that have widespread impacts.

In this article, we’ll explain exactly what Green Fins is, how it works and ways you can get involved.

If you’re looking for other ways to support ocean conservation, discover 9 marine organisations to follow.

Green Fins plays an important role in implementing environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry
Green Fins plays an important role in implementing environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry

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The Green Fins approach: Protecting paradise

Since it was founded in 2004, Green Fins has established itself in 15 countries. It is designed to empower tour operators to become stewards of the marine environments they depend on for their livelihoods.

Dive and snorkel operators in the Green Fins program make a pledge to preserve the underwater world. Essentially, they sign their name to a membership that binds them to a Code of Conduct for sustainable marine tourism. 

Green Fins: Seagrass beds play an important role in healthy marine ecosystems
Seagrass beds play an important role in healthy marine ecosystems

Green Fins in action

Trained Green Fins assessors regularly visit these eco-minded members, checking their adherence to the code and offering consultations for improvement. They also provide environmental training for all staff, equipping these ocean advocates with the knowledge and skills to reduce their environmental impacts. 

Members receive handy materials that outline best practices for divers and snorkelers. These include pictographic icons that transcend language barriers and illustrate how to treat our marine environments with care.

Taking things even further is the Green Fins Ambassador Program. This trains enthusiastic, eco-conscious dive guides to become ambassadors for the underwater environment.

With each country charting its own course under the Network Leader’s guidance, Green Fins lets local voices lead the way. Spin-off projects have raised awareness about plastic pollution and sharks, as well as sustainable fishing practices. 

While approaches may differ, the organisation stays afloat through a shared mission. It’s about preserving fragile marine ecosystems using the unifying power of sustainable tourism.

By bringing divers, businesses, and communities on board, Green Fins makes conservation a collective responsibility and a cornerstone of sustainable dive vacations. 

For more insights into marine conservation issues, check out our collection of articles here. They focus on everything from ocean acidification and mercury pollution to coral bleaching and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

An elevated view of the Sau Bay Resort & Spa, a Green Fins dive resort in Fiji
An elevated view of the Sau Bay Resort & Spa, a Green Fins dive resort in Fiji (photo courtesy of Expedia)

How to get involved with Green Fins

One of the simplest ways you can get involved is by diving with a Green Fins-certified dive school or staying at a Green Fins dive resort. You can find properties across the globe, including in Indonesia, Fiji, Japan and the Philippines.

More info about Green Fins is available on their website, complete with a list of active members to help you plan a sustainable dive vacation. 

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About the authors

We are a team of passionate divers and surfers with decades of combined experience in the water and travelling to all corners of the globe. After years of chasing waves and descending into the deep blue, we’ve created this resource to highlight sustainably run surf camps, eco-friendly dive resorts and conservation-focused ocean trips to help inspire your next adventure.

Eco Ocean Escapes was born out of a love of the ocean, an obsession with travel and a concern about the impacts of our adventures on the environments we explore. Despite the benefits that surf and dive tourism can bring to local communities, we recognised that ocean-based adventures are not always managed in a sustainable manner.  

Through our articles, we hope to inspire those seeking a responsible surf or dive trip that is all about supporting local communities, preserving our coastal environments and the incredible marine species that inhabit our oceans. 

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