NOAA Re-Launches the Ocean Guardian Dive Club

By Willow Jackson

February 2024

Are you interested in giving your child a head start on safe diving techniques? Do you want to introduce a young person to ocean conservation and stewardship? You’re in luck! NOAA is launching the Ocean Guardian Dive Club, a program aimed at teaching young divers safe diving techniques, ocean and climate literacy concepts, and ocean stewardship.

Led by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the redesigned NOAA Ocean Guardian Dive Club program offers free curriculum centered around the National Marine Sanctuary System. The nationally recognized youth dive program is designed to increase youth involvement in diving and ocean conservation. Using NOAA science and hands-on diving activities, each lesson teaches students how to become an Ocean Guardian.

Young divers engage in ocean conservation and stewardship activities while practicing their dive skills. Photo: Marlies Tumulo/NOAA

Dive club youth practice diving skills while also gaining experience in conducting an underwater cleanup activity. Photo: Kathy O'Hara/Lynnhaven Dive Center

Dive shops, dive clubs, and other partner organizations can utilize these lessons to provide single- or multi-day experiences to local youth divers. This presents dive shops and dive clubs with the chance to expand their influence to a new generation of divers. Each lesson focuses on one site within the national marine sanctuary system, following dive industry and educational standards to introduce marine science concepts and safe diving principles.

About the New Educational Materials

The Dive Club lessons and activities introduce students to all of the special places protected through the National Marine Sanctuary System. Each lesson focuses on one site, a marine science topic that is relevant to that marine protected area, and a pool-based lesson with relevant dive techniques. For example, the lesson on Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument introduces students to the threats that marine debris poses to the protected area, then leads young divers through a simulation of underwater debris removal.

CBNMS lesson plan preview — Educational Material #1: Students will collect data on species abundance from remotely-operated vehicle footage taken in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

FGNMS lesson plan preview — Educational Material #2: Students will learn about invasive species, specifically the lionfish, and how they can impact marine environments.

Child wearing scuba diving gear and equipment — By equipping young divers with skills and knowledge, the lessons aim to create a generation of divers that understand, care for, and protect the ocean. Photo: Claire Fackler/NOAA

The Impact of a New Generation of Divers

As climate change threatens the ocean’s valuable resources and treasures, the need for informed stewards continues to grow. By educating young divers about the importance of the ocean and imparting values of ocean stewardship, the NOAA Ocean Guardian Dive Club aims to create these stewards. Participants will emerge with a connection to the ocean and a desire to protect and enjoy it throughout their lifetime.

Looking to involve your child in the NOAA Ocean Guardian Dive Club? Reach out to your local dive shop, dive club, or ocean stewardship organization to encourage them to participate in the program!

Willow Jackson is an Indigenous person from the Sea Pigeon Clan on the island of Kake in Southeast Alaska who is a former Hollings Scholar and college student at California State University, Channel Islands.