Social Ethic
Diving into sustainability: How scuba divers can dive greener
At One Ocean Zanzibar, we are dedicated to upholding a culture of sustainability, and we invite you to join us in our mission to protect the ocean and ensure its beauty continues to inspire and sustain life beneath the waves for generations to come.
As scuba divers, we have a deep connection to the ocean, and with that connection comes a responsibility to protect it. By adopting greener practices in our diving—and daily lives—we can contribute to the health of our planet and the vibrant underwater ecosystems we cherish.
Here are some practical ways you can dive greener while enjoying your diving adventures.
1. Choose Environmentally Conscious Dive Operators
When planning your diving trips, choose eco-conscious dive operators that prioritize sustainable practices. Look for companies that follow responsible diving guidelines, minimize single-use plastics, invest in local communities, and actively participate in marine conservation efforts. Supporting businesses that care about the ocean helps ensure its long-term protection.
2. Be Mindful of Marine Life
As divers, we are privileged to explore diverse marine ecosystems. To protect these habitats, practice responsible diving techniques:
- Maintain Buoyancy: Avoid touching or standing on coral reefs. Good buoyancy control helps prevent unintentional damage to fragile ecosystems. Consider taking a buoyancy course—it will transform your dives!
- Don’t Collect Souvenirs: Resist the urge to take shells, coral, or any marine life as souvenirs. Leave everything as you found it so these ecosystems can thrive.
- Observe from a Distance: Respect marine animals by keeping a safe distance to minimize stress on their natural behaviors.
- Use Reef-Friendly Sunscreen: Many traditional sunscreens contain harmful chemicals that damage coral reefs. Choose biodegradable, reef-safe options and combine them with rash vests and wide-brimmed hats for the best protection.
- Support Sustainable Seafood: When dining out, opt for seafood sourced from sustainable fisheries. Educate yourself on local seafood guides to make informed choices that contribute to ocean health.
3. Reduce Plastic Use
Plastic pollution is one of the greatest threats to our oceans. Here are some simple ways to reduce your plastic consumption:
- Use Reusable Water Bottles: Bring a refillable water bottle on your dives and excursions to cut down on single-use plastic.
- Opt for Sustainable Snacks: Pack snacks in reusable containers instead of plastic wrappers. Choose bulk items when possible to minimize packaging.
- Participate in Clean-Up Activities: Join local beach or underwater clean-up events. These activities not only help remove plastic waste but also raise awareness about ocean conservation.
4. Educate Yourself and Others
Knowledge is power! Educate yourself about marine conservation issues and share your insights with fellow divers. Understanding the challenges our oceans face—such as climate change, overfishing, and pollution—can empower you to advocate for sustainable practices and support initiatives that protect marine environments.
5. Offset Your Carbon Footprint
Traveling for diving contributes to your carbon footprint. Consider purchasing carbon offsets for your flights and other travel-related emissions. Many organizations invest in renewable energy, reforestation, and other sustainability projects to balance out carbon output.
We love the Kilimanjaro Project, which works to reforest the foothills of Africa’s tallest mountain.
6. Support Marine Conservation Organizations
Donate to or volunteer with organizations focused on ocean health and marine conservation. These groups often work on critical initiatives such as coral restoration, wildlife protection, and educational programs. Your support can make a meaningful difference in preserving the underwater ecosystems you love.
Some of our favorite organizations include Linda Bahari, Sea Sense, and Ropes of Hope.
7. Invest in Quality Diving Gear
When choosing scuba gear, prioritize quality over quantity. High-quality equipment lasts longer, performs better, and reduces waste over time. Avoid the trap of fast fashion—cheap, low-quality items often need frequent replacement, creating unnecessary waste. Look for reputable brands that focus on durability and sustainability in their manufacturing processes.
Investing in well-made, long-lasting gear benefits both your wallet and the environment, reinforcing your commitment to responsible diving.
By making small changes, we can collectively have a big impact on protecting our oceans. What are your top tips for diving greener? Share them in the comments!
Dive into wellness
Scuba diving is more than just an adventure—it’s a fun way to boost your physical and mental health. At One Ocean Zanzibar, we invite you to dive in not just for the thrill, but for the amazing benefits that come with it.
Let’s take a deep dive into how scuba diving can make you feel amazing both inside and out.
Physical Health Perks
1. Get Fit While Having Fun
Scuba diving is a total body workout that gets your heart pumping and muscles working. Swimming against currents, maintaining buoyancy, and managing your equipment all contribute to increased strength and endurance. Regular diving can improve your cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and overall body tone.
2. Breathe Easy
Diving teaches you the art of deep, controlled breathing, which is super beneficial for your lungs. By taking slow, deep breaths underwater, you not only chill out but also increase your lung capacity. This can help you manage stress and anxiety in your daily life. Talk about a win-win!
3. Joint and Muscle Relief
Feeling achy? The buoyancy of water is like a magic pill for your joints and muscles. It takes the pressure off! You’ll feel light as a feather while exploring the deep blue!
4. Soak Up Some Vitamin D
Nothing beats a little sunshine, right? Diving allows you to soak up those rays and boost your vitamin D levels, which is crucial for strong bones and a healthy immune system. Just remember your reef-friendly sunscreen or rash vest to keep both your skin and the ocean happy!
Mental Health Boost
1. Stress? What Stress?
Need a break from the daily grind? Scuba diving is the perfect escape. The underwater world is peaceful and quiet, letting you focus on your surroundings and your breath. It’s like a mini-vacation for your mind, reducing stress and promoting total relaxation. Ahhh, bliss!
2. Confidence Boost
Navigating the underwater realm is a total confidence booster. Conquering challenges—like mastering new skills or exploring deeper dives—gives you a serious sense of accomplishment. You’ll come out of the water feeling like a sea star!
3. Connect with Nature
Diving connects you to the beauty of the ocean, sparking a newfound appreciation for nature. Being surrounded by stunning marine life can lift your mood and help combat feelings of anxiety and depression. Plus, it motivates you to protect our precious oceans. Nature therapy at its best!
4. Make New Friends
Diving is all about community and comradery! Whether you’re hitting the water with old buddies or meeting new dive pals, the shared experiences create lasting friendships. It’s a fantastic way to combat loneliness and feel part of something special.
What are your favourite health benefits from scuba diving?
Rashid – our new Divemaster in Stone Town
My name is Rashid Kiukara, I come from Zanzibar. I love diving. I became a PADI Divemaster this year.
From Labourer to snorkel guide
I began working for One Ocean as a fundi (labourer) on the boats. Each year the boats come out of the water for a service and I helped to sand, varnish and paint the boats. I did this for two seasons. After the second season Gary, the owner of One Ocean, and his wife Gail asked me to come work personally for them as night security. Immediately, I said ok and took the chance. So I worked for two years and Gary and Gail wanted to give me a chance to work full time in their dive centre in Stone Town. They trained me as a snorkel guide. This made me very happy as I like to swim and got the chance to learn more. I did this for two years.
Next goal: Divemaster
In June 2016, we got a new manager (Dave) in town and a new instructor (Marcela). Dave wanted to give me the chance to learn diving. I had never been diving but wanted to try. Marcela took me to the pool and trained me from PADI Open Water to PADI Advanced Open Water. Even if Marcela only worked with us for 3 months I want to thank her for starting my diving experience. I wish her all the best wherever she is and miss her. Dave then said he would like to train me to become a divemaster and work for One Ocean.
This made me very happy and excited. When our new instructor Barbora arrived, she taught my EFR and PADI Rescue Course. I want to thank my dear Barusha for all her help. With that completed, I dived a lot and practised what I had learned and worked with our instructors and divemasters on the boat. After that, Dave took me for Divemaster training and after a lot of hard work I became a qualified PADI Divemaster. I now work for One Ocean as a Divemaster and love showing our guests the beautiful waters of Zanzibar.
I want to thank Mr. Dave for giving me the chance to become a PADI Divemaster and getting this far and Mr. Gary for his support. After all this time, I can now understand Mr. Dave’s crazy language…. thanks a lot buddy.
Note from Dave, manager One Ocean Stone Town
At One Ocean, we love to train our staff and especially our local staff, giving them the chance to learn and grow. Rashid is the perfect example of how hard work and dedication pays off. He is becoming an outstanding Divemaster and invaluable member of our team. Great work my friend, you have a bright future ahead.
Snorkelling Days for Tamani Foundation Pupils
Some of us live in Matemwe, a very small place, a nice village, relatively few people, you would think you know what is going on at all times: who lives here, what are people doing, how long they’ve been living here... But it turns out, we really don’t know much about it but when you start digging, you'll find small magnificent worlds inside the one you are living in.
It is great, you just have to remember to look.
Information came to us. They came on our boat one day, to dive. They are interested in the ocean and enjoyed spending time in it. Conversation started, with the common basic questions of who they are and what they do, and their answer left us forever amazed:
- “Tamani is a Foundation committed to helping students meet the challenges of secondary education through an English bilingual Nursery and Primary educational program.”
- “What?!” O_O
- “Yes, we are a school, from nursery to adult teaching, helping the community. We have enrolled students for the day to day school studies and everything is for free. In the afternoon, we organise lessons for adults (English, Maths, Computer lessons...), everyone is welcome to come.”
- “Okaaaaaaaay.” O_O
We loved these people right then, right there, and the whole foundation, the whole idea, the whole thing, because really, how can’t you?
I tell you, people on this island continue to amaze me.
How come we didn’t know what was going on there and how great it was?
Yes ok, we work, we mind our own things, we mind our own problems, but man! Wow.
I saw this school before, or part of it, from the beach. It looks like everybody's dream school. An open elevated classroom makuti roof, very zanzibarian, with a magnificent ocean view. Yes, you would have wanted to study there, like every single soul on the planet. The kind of place that a private school would charge a lovely eye of yours, and they offer it, to the local kids, for free!!!!
After carefully listening to how they work and what is going on, the only next question was:
- “How can we help?” - and here is the important information.
- “You can volunteer if you like, one day is enough, we ALWAYS need the help, we’ll have something for you to do.”
So the big one right here. You don’t have money to give away? Give your time.
I’ve been here for a while and I heard countless times: We are bored, what else can we do? Ohhhh well... now we have a good answer for you: trade a slow day at the beach for some well spent time helping the community and feeling great about yourself.
I of course then did my research and if you are reading this, maybe you want to make yours too. They have beautiful Villas (with private pools I believe), where you can stay, enjoy your holiday and help. The money you pay for your stay goes to the school and they also of course receive donations.
FYI you can now leave your donations at One Ocean too! We have official beautiful Tamani envelopes to provide you and you can visit them, marvel at the school, and give them your donation, or we’ll do it for you cause we love to visit them anyways.
One Ocean's beautiful minds then came together to figure out, what else could we do to help and the answer was so simple. What does One Ocean offer? Beautiful, amazing trips to discover the magic of Mnemba atoll, that people from all over the world come to enjoy.
Obvious, we’ll take the students to visit their atoll, their reef, on their backyard, to know it, to enjoy it, to learn from it.
And we did! Over two days 32 students, teachers and volunteers joined us for some snorkelling at Mnemba atoll.
We cannot describe how keen One Ocean's staff was to help and to be involved in the trips with the students. Everyone was helpful, everyone was there to make it happen, and for this, we are very grateful to our local staff.
Most of the kids had never been to Mnemba, they had never seen the reef and the creatures living in it, and they of course loved it! That is most the important part, because you’ll only protect something you love.
It was fun, it was interesting and it was rewarding. We are are glad it happened, thanks in large part to the help of Tamani's managers, Manyam and Maytham, that organised their students and were ready to go in no time, amazing! Great efficient people! Students are lucky to have them, they truly are.
One Ocean will continue to support Tamani in whatever way possible. Some more trips will be planned for these kids, so they continue to fall in love with our ocean, with its treasures, with their heritage.
We’ll act as an ocean ambassador and we’ll try to teach these kids that this is their ocean, it is not only for visitors, it is their backyard, in the hope that they’ll be able to protect it.
If they get in the ocean, put a mask on and see what’s there, they’ll want to conserve it.
“In the end we’ll conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we understand only what we are taught.”
-Baba Dioum-