PADI Dive Against Debris Instructor (Mermaid)

Mermaiding has grown into a genuinely popular way to introduce people to the underwater world, and PADI has built a full instructional pathway around it, complete with its own conservation specialty. The Dive Against Debris Instructor (Mermaid) rating qualifies existing Advanced Mermaid Instructors to run Project AWARE's Dive Against Debris programme specifically for Advanced Mermaid students, blending fin-based underwater confidence with a real environmental purpose.

You will work through the instructor materials for the course, learning how to brief Advanced Mermaid students on debris identification, safe handling and the survey protocol used to log data into Project AWARE's global marine debris database. Because mermaid diving uses a monofin rather than standard scuba fins, you will also cover how to adapt movement, buoyancy and task-loading guidance so students can carry out a debris survey confidently while swimming in a mermaid tail.

Teaching practice forms a core part of the course, giving you the chance to run through briefings and in-water management before you deliver the course independently. By the end you will be equipped to lead a full Dive Against Debris session for Advanced Mermaids at your own centre.

It is a natural next step for Advanced Mermaid Instructors who want to add a conservation-focused specialty to what they teach, giving mermaid students a genuine sense of purpose beneath the surface as well as a memorable in-water experience.