I love nature, both above and below the water- you could even say I’m an enthusiast. I try to do my part to recycle, buy locally grown produce, and I pick up rubbish that I find on the ground or during a dive (it makes my little heart flutter to see my fellow divers or students also pick up trash during a dive!). As I was reading the latest Undersea Journal (a professional dive publication), I came across an article about how dive shops are making an effort to ‘go green’ in the sense of making their companies as environmentally friendly as possible. Many of us divers are ambassadors of the environment, and I think that it is great that the shops that support them are doing their best to protect the wonderful world that we all treasure (both above and below the water!).
As I read through the article, I was very proud to see that both Maui Dreams and the Maui Diamond II have already implemented many of the ideas that were mentioned. I also happened upon a published photo of one of our recent underwater clean-ups. (I was made anonymous in the photo by another enthusiastic diver’s hand)!
Maui Dreams asks all ofour customers for an email address (if they have one) so that we can email receipts instead of printing them off.We also have an email newsletter that anyone can sign up for which further saves paper.We make good use of our website to inform fellow divers of the current conditions and list basic information about our classes, gear and dives.We are very active on Facebook and always love to seeour divers posting photos or tales from their most recent adventures.
If you choose to take a class from Maui Dreams, your certification will be processed online. Not only does this save time, money and paper, you get your new number right away and do not need to provide a photo (we take a digital photo of you right in the shop!). If you haven’t taken a class in a while, check out the wide variety of classes that Maui Dreams offers – there is something for everyone! There are several Project Aware certifications that will increase your awareness and understanding of our watery world, including Naturalist, Fish ID, Coral Conservation, and Our World Our Water. A good diver is always learning!
The Maui Diamond II has reusable plastic mugs that are washed at the end of each charter, and the crew recycles all of the aluminum cans that are used each day. The wetsuit cleaner that is used on the boat and in the shop is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. About four timesa year, the shop and boat crews volunteer to lead clean-up dives which always fill up with divers wanting to help out – awesome!
So a BIG MAHALO to all of our divers for their efforts in keeping our world beautiful! Thank you for picking up rubbish when you are diving and for being mindful of the environment by exercising good buoyancy control. Mahalo for coming out on our clean-up dives, and even for buying our reusable eco-friendly stainless steel water bottles.
Aloha, Sara
