Geelong company awarded Australian first grant

A GEELONG-BASED diving company has been awarded an Australian first grant through the PADI AWARE foundation mission hub.

Australian Diving Instruction (ADI) are the recipients of the funding, aimed at removing invasive species and debris from Port Phillip Bay and collecting vital ecological data.

The grant is the first to be awarded in Australia in its 30-year history and will involve trained divers and community members.

The PADI AWARE Foundation Community Grant Program is an initiative to accelerate participation, education and advocacy for ocean protection.

PADI AWARE has a focus on marine debris removal and environmental advocacy in scuba diving, with more than 6,600 affiliated dive centres around the world.

As part of the new program, 12 key dive events will be funded across the Bellarine Peninsula in the next year, with participants equipped to remove the invasive species and collect data.

 

The data will then be used to inform environmental management across the globe and shared with stakeholders including the Victorian National Parks Association, Parks Victoria and Deakin University.

ADI is committed to marine conservation, operating as a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre, 100 per cent AWARE Dive Centre and PADI Eco Centre.

“We believe education is key to fostering environmental awareness among divers and local communities,” ADI director Ting Ting Lee said.

“We integrate conservation principles into all our courses, from entry-level to professional certification emphasising neutral buoyancy to protect marine environments.”

The grant represents an expansion into ADI’s efforts to protect the bays ecosystem, work the business has done since its beginning in 2012, participating in underwater surveys and the removal of marine pests.

For more information, head to adigeelong.com