Marine Ecosystems Awareness

Divers have a vested interest in protecting the marine environment. In many cases, divers do not have environmental information about local sites. This specialty is designed to increase the open water diver’s understanding of marine and freshwater environments, the problems facing these unique ecosystems, and the role that diver’s play in protecting our marine resources.

What you can expect to learn

The SDI Marine Eco Systems Awareness Diver course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:

• Physical attributes
  • Temperature and thermoclines
  • Salinity and halocline
  • Dissolved gases
  • Light, as it applies to photosynthesis
  • Nutrient circulation
  • Waves and tides
  • Currents and nutrient cycling
• Topographical features
• Marine organisms
  • Plankton
  • Aquatic plants
  • Aquatic animals
  • Specific local animals
  • Aquatic food webs
  • Behavioral changes due to daily cycle
• Ecosystems
  • Tropical reef
  • Temperate
  • Freshwater
• Environmentally friendly diving techniques
  • Buoyancy control
  • Kick technique
  • Local considerations
• Issues facing marine ecosystems
  • Issues of local interest
  • Global habitat destruction and pollution
  • Over fishing
• Coral bleaching
• Diver animal interactions
  • Intrusive
  • Non-intrusive
  • Feeding
  • Treating marine life injuries
• Observation Techniques
  • Grids
  • Passive observation
• Collection Methods

Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:

At various sites complete the following:

• Maintain good buoyancy control
• Make general observations
  • Location
  • Bottom composition
  • Marine life
  • Special characteristics
  • Indications of human impact
• Grid observations
  • Make two separate sets of grid observations during each dive
  • Describe all marine life for later identification
  • Record behavior
  • Log Dives
• Compare and contrast the dive sites
• Discuss the effect of human impacts
• Discuss ways to minimize human impact

Course Equipment Requirements

• Basic open water scuba equipment as described in section three of this manual
• A marine life identification guide
• Diver’s slate

Course Prerequisites

• SDI Open Water Scuba Diver, SDI Junior Open Water Diver, or equivalent
• Minimum age 18, 10 with parental consent