Why This Course Matters

Sea turtles are some of the most loved marine animals in the ocean, but that love needs to translate into action.

The AWARE Sea Turtle Distinctive Specialty helps you move beyond admiration to advocacy by learning how your actions as a diver can directly support conservation.

Instead of just recognizing that a turtle was beautiful, you start understanding what species you are seeing, what habitat it depends on, and what threats it may be facing every single day.

What You’ll Learn

• Sea turtle biology and life cycle basics
• How to identify different sea turtle species on sight
• The habitats sea turtles rely on throughout their lives
• Threats caused by human impact, including plastic pollution, entanglement, and habitat loss
• How divers can contribute to conservation and data collection
• How to make your dives and daily choices more turtle-friendly

Why Take AWARE Sea Turtle?

This course helps you turn turtle encounters into something much more meaningful.

You’ll gain the knowledge to identify species, report sightings, reduce your environmental impact, and understand how your choices matter both underwater and on shore.

Every dive becomes an opportunity to protect these incredible animals and contribute to the global effort to preserve their future.

What Changes After the Course

You start seeing turtle encounters differently.

It’s no longer just “I saw a turtle.” You begin asking what species it was, what it was doing, why it was there, and what kind of condition that habitat was in.

That shift makes you a more thoughtful diver, a better observer, and a stronger advocate for the marine life you care about.