Expertise Since 1987
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Our Commitment to Eco-Friendly Diving
“To protect and conserve coral reefs by establishing and implementing environmentally-friendly guidelines to promote a sustainable diving and snorkeling tourism industry” – Green Fins Network
In 2018, Explorer Ventures became the first liveaboard company to receive an official Green Fins Membership (Caribbean Explorer II). We also became a pioneering liveaboard business assisting Green Fins develop policies for the industry. Green Fins helps guide best practices in the scuba industry, and we proudly use its principles to reduce our environmental impact and promote eco-friendly diving. That same year, we expanded our Green Fins commitment from Caribbean Explorer II which operates in St. Maarten, Saba, St. Kitts & Nevis, to the Turks & Caicos Explorer II—operating in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Dominican Republic.
2018 was also the International Year of the Reef, and we joined the Green Fins community in celebrating coral reef protection. Through the #GreenFinsIYOR2018 campaign, we promoted responsible diving with initiatives like #RefiningtheDive, #AlternativestoAnchoring, and #HealthyOceansForAHealthyBusiness. As a campaign partner, we led by example—educating dive guides, inspiring divers to adopt sustainable behaviors, and encouraging zero-impact dives.
Our commitment to ocean conservation continues today, across our entire fleet, as we strive to make every dive as eco-friendly as possible. Our goal is to educate divers on how to be the most environmentally aware diver to have zero impact dives. We continue these goals into the future and across the fleet.
What is Green Fins?
Green Fins was initiated by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) under the Regional Seas program. It was started as part of the effort to increase public awareness and management practices that will benefit the conservation of coral reefs and reduce unsustainable tourism practices. It is overseen by the Coral Reef Unit of UNEP based in Bangkok in collaboration with UK charity The Reef-World Foundation.
Green Fins is a comprehensive sustainability approach that encourages dive centers and snorkel operators, local communities and governments to work together to reduce their environmental impacts. This is primarily done through the private sector adopting a Code of Conduct that will help mitigate their impacts when carrying out marine tourism activities.
The Code of Conduct consists of 15 points, which target environmental threats posed by the tourism industry, both underwater and on land. Green Fins members receive the training and the tools to promote environmental education and awareness, tapping into the tourists and the diving community, which is shifting more and more towards eco-friendly initiatives as a result of the demand from the consumer.
Green Fins dives even deeper as it creates a network through which dive centers, local and national governments and communities who work together to tackle local environmental threats to protect livelihoods and food security.
Green Fins ethos of diving is a system built on measurable progress and collaboration among stakeholders.
Where is Green Fins?
Encompassing 500+ members across 50 countries, Green Fins is an ever-expanding initiative. There is a rapidly growing network of dive operators all over the world who are involved in the project.
The programme is managed in each country by a National Management Team made up of governmental bodies and often supported by national NGO’s. These teams are trained and supported by the International Coordinators of the project, The Reef-World Foundation whose role is to focus on expanding the project to additional member countries in the region and to strengthen the existing network through capacity development.
The National Management Teams are responsible for expanding Green Fins in their respective countries and to produce educational and public awareness materials while promoting the successes of the approach. Local Management Teams are often used as a way to better manage the members in a particular tourist ‘hotspot’ who take their direction from the National Management Team and the International Coordinators.
Green Fins Codes of Conduct
Explorer Ventures Caribbean vessels have pledged to practice the Green Fins guidelines, and follow the 7 Codes of Conduct. In addition, we also ask our customers to join in by following these simple diving tips while onboard. See infographic.
Green Fins and International Year of the Reef
#GreenFinsIYOR2018 is a social media campaign that will cover four simple actions that the diving industry can take control over, allowing reefs to be the strongest they can be: refine the dive, no anchoring, no feeding fish, healthy oceans means healthy business. An average of 70 percent of divers contact the reef while diving, with an average of 5.79 times on each dive. That can lead up to over 200,000+ diver damage incidents per year, on a single dive site!
As campaign partner for Redefine the Dive, we hope to educate the public through social media on best diving practices, as well as reduce our own organization and dive guests’ potential damage. From errant fin kicks to poor photography techniques this action point delivers new tips and tricks to assist guides on how to redefine their guest’s dives. Dive travelers will also get a deeper understanding of what to expect from our organization.
IYOR2018 Infographic: Redefine the Dive
*Please note: This infographic was created by Reef-World for scuba day-boat operators and new divers. It is not liveaboard specific, so some information may vary from what is shown. Explorer Ventures Caribbean Fleet are the first liveaboards to adopt the Green Fins principles on environmentally responsible diving. As ongoing supporters of sustainability initiatives, we are assisting in the creation of new guidelines which better match the specific requirements of liveaboard dive vessels.
“It’s our responsibility to make a difference!”
Learn more www.GreenFins.net
