Project AWARE

[LeFlaneur]

You see a lot about Project AWARE on PADI's website. Other than offering more specialty courses (for the regular fee) and disseminating information what exactly do they do? I don't really see a Project AWARE presence anywhere.

I'm just curious because with all the chat here about underwater etiquette, it would seem there's an opportunity for people to be better educated. Offering expensive elective courses doesn't seem to be the way to do it.

 

[squee!]

After checking out their website, it seems like they try to promote awareness through small programs and, as you mentioned, specialty courses. I for one have taken the fish ID specialty course and it sucked. the info was really very vague, and I was required to do a dive and ID like 5 fish. Whooptie-doo. This may be in part due to the dive shop I took it from . . .their AOW was a downright terrible waste of time. Regardless, they also offer funding grants for people to apply for for grassroots projects and conservation research, so that makes it a decent organization in my book.

 

[SubMariner]

After checking out their website, it seems like they try to promote awareness through small programs and, as you mentioned, specialty courses. I for one have taken the fish ID specialty course and it sucked. the info was really very vague, and I was required to do a dive and ID like 5 fish. Whooptie-doo. This may be in part due to the dive shop I took it from . . .their AOW was a downright terrible waste of time. Regardless, they also offer funding grants for people to apply for for grassroots projects and conservation research, so that makes it a decent organization in my book.

Sorry you didn't get a lot from your Fish ID course. As you have already indicated, the Instructor is the person who makes or breaks it.

A lot of LDSes or dive clubs put on Project Aware beach clean ups, fund raisers, etc. It's very much an individual undertaking at the "grass roots" level rather than some big nationally advertised program.

BTW, as a PADI pro I get to see a lot of these programs through our professional publication The Undersea Journal. It's neat to see people doing something on the other side of the world that may ultimately show the rest of us how to contribute in our underwater backyards.

Pax,

 

[LeFlaneur]

Cool, I'll try to dive in more deeply into their website when I have time. I think it looks like a noble undertaking I was just curious of the specifics.

I was kinda wondering why Project AWARE is isn't more integrated with basic OW coursework.

 

[SubMariner]

Cool, I'll try to dive in more deeply into their website when I have time. I think it looks like a noble undertaking I was just curious of the specifics.

I was kinda wondering why Project AWARE is isn't more integrated with basic OW coursework.

Sorry for the tardy reply....

Although I like to integrate some UW Naturlist/Fish ID into most of my courses, I would much rather teach it as a separate course. It's really hard to appreciate the UW world when you are so new to diving that you are concentrating more on your skills than what you have the priviledge of seeing while UW.

JMHO, of course.

 

[LeFlaneur]

Sorry for the tardy reply....

Although I like to integrate some UW Naturlist/Fish ID into most of my courses, I would much rather teach it as a separate course. It's really hard to appreciate the UW world when you are so new to diving that you are concentrating more on your skills than what you have the priviledge of seeing while UW.

JMHO, of course.

I agree. I wasn't so much thinkin of Fish ID as a mini course on how not to mess up the reef -- bouyancy, danglies, etiquette, etc.

 

[SubMariner]

I agree. I wasn't so much thinkin of Fish ID as a mini course on how not to mess up the reef -- bouyancy, danglies, etiquette, etc.

Well, that's pretty much part of any good OW course, IMHO. Esp the subject of "no danglies".