International guidelines for responsible diver

Objective : the international guidelines for responsible diver aims to promote the structures which are acting in favour of a more responsible diving. It will help to guide the divers in their choice when they come to select a place for their diving holidays, in France or abroad.

The international guidelines for responsible diver counts the scuba diving structures, and assesses their efforts towards a better knowledge of marine environment, a lower impact on the environment and the actions taken for its long term safeguard.

It aims to promote the structures which are acting in favour of a more responsible diving. It will help to guide the divers in their choice when they come to select a place for their diving holidays, in France or abroad.

Every structure which will request to be listed in the guide, together with the ambassador centers of the International guidelines, will have to commit itself to post up the International guidelines of responsible diver, to spread them and to organize the diving sessions within its principles.

Beyond this first commitment, the differences between the diving structures will be based on the additional efforts they will make to enhance the protection of marine environment, according to the ideas developed in the international guidelines for responsible diver. They will be distinguished along a number of “planets”, from 1 to 3 planets, according to the importance of the achievements and efforts they will have agreed to.
The “objective” assessment method will be implemented thanks to an “assessment grid”. The diving centers will commit themselves to fill up and post up this grid in order to allow the divers to assess and respect the efforts made by the center.

To be listed in the guide, it is at least necessary:
to be an ambassador of the International guidelines, to post them up clearly and to organize diving sessions in line with them.

The assessment will be about the efforts made in 3 domains:

Knowledge of the environmentand divers training
Reducing its impact on the environment (building, boat, diving conduct)
Actions for a long-term preservation and a fair share of the resources with local inhabitants.

We collected, as examples, the achievements already set up by some Ambassador centers of the International guidelines for responsible diver, with the purpose of offering a sustainable activity and a better preservation of the marine environment.