Conservation

A Dive Centre Making a Difference

Barbados Blue is not just a dive shop but a 100% PADI AWARE partner with two on staff Marine Biologist.

With the PADI Dive Against Debris and Adopt the Blue programmes, Barbados Blue regularly schedule beach and underwater cleanups, school visits, and invasive Lionfish Derbies.

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Sustainable Tourism

PADI Coral Reef First Aid Distinctive Specialty

This is a Distinctive Specialty dive certification programme open to any Certified Diver. PADI Coral First Aid is only taught by Barbados Blue, and our sister shop, Eco Dive (Grenada Blue Inc.). In an attempt to reverse the loss of some of the most beautiful and ecologically beneficial branching corals, this course makes a real difference with a track record of more than 1,000 outplanted corals in Barbados and Grenada to date.

Come adopt your coral, learn and be part of the solution!

CONSERVATION

Course Description

In this PADI Specialty Course open to any Certified Diver, you will learn coral basics, buoyancy skills, air bag usage, tying knots and setting up the A-frame nursery. The course includes the opportunity to rescue damaged coral fragments in Barbados. We will then show you how to handle, measure, monitor and photograph the A-frames correctly. This class is taught on demand and with a minimum of 2 divers (with 4 being optimal).

Methods:

Wild and threatened colonies/fragments collected.
Coral Fragments are propagated in a nursery setting on metal A-frames.
After 6 to 12 months, corals are harvested and transported to a natural reef.
The new and larger fragments are out planted to denuded natural reefs.
Groups can even name their specific nursery and come back and visit every year. It’s amazing to see a once barren reef become colonized with branching corals and then schooling fish.