There are literally hundreds of ways that your local dive operators can make a positive impact on the planet. We are going to narrow it down and tell you what Swan Dive has been doing in the last 12 months that is sustainable for our local area. 

Everyday efforts make a big impact

Here at Swan Dive all of our staff have a huge passion for the environment. That’s why we choose to work in the ocean every day! Therefore, we have taken a few small steps everyday that have created a huge impact on our dive sites and local area.

• Eco conscious briefings

When you have access to thousands of people per year, it is very important that you are teaching them the right thing, especially when it comes to the health of the reef. Both our dive site briefings and course briefings all involve aspects of how we can look after our planet e.g. picking up trash, no touching etc. 

We also debrief all of our dives telling our customers facts and information about all of the cool critters and corals we just saw, hopefully inspiring a desire to protect. 

• Picking up trash on every dive

If you know our staff, you know that their pockets are always stuffed with rubbish. Our 3 main dive sites are hotspots for fishermen (even though 2 are in a sanctuary zone). Therefore, we often find lots of broken lures, lines and even rods that have been abandoned. If we are able to carry it, we will! We also notice that when we begin to collect litter, customers will too. I always brief that if you see litter but don’t want to carry it, that’s fine, just pass it on to me and I will look after it. 

• Paperless 

One of our new procedures introduced to the 2024/2025 season was going paperless. Not only from an environmental perspective, but from a business perspective. Working from our container shop, we simply don’t have the space! 

Big changes for the Ocean 

This year, we have managed to reduce our fuel consumption by 60% which is huge! Meaning our fuel footprint on the environment has decreased massively! We have curated this by ensuring that our journeys to and from dive sites are the most efficient and environmentally conscious as possible. 

Locals make a difference

At the end of the day, we’re all in this together. Without our customers, there is no Swan Dive. That’s why we hold several community focused events throughout the season to benefit the social side of diving as well as our surrounding ecosystems. This includes beach cleans, underwater pick-ups and marine safety talks. 

Support local

As a local business, we understand the importance of supporting local. Therefore, we regularly collaborate with local brands from things as simple as reef friendly sunscreen (Feel Good inc) to larger projects such as clean ups with the Busselton Jetty. On one of our last clean ups, we collected more than 400kg worth of plastic! 

Plastic has such a huge impact on our environment from microplastics that we consume every day to larger pieces of rubbish like single-use drink bottles. It sounds bad but, we’re the lucky ones. There are literal plastic islands floating around in the Pacific. If we can stop any rubbish from destroying wildlife, we will, one piece at a time. 

We have also collaborated with now nationwide Tangaroa Blue, an amazing organization that strives to make our shorelines a cleaner place. 

During our clean ups, we donate our resources such as boats, staff and equipment to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to get involved! On more regular clean ups, we often supply free air fills as a thank you to the people looking after our environment. 

New tours

Our newest tour, the ‘Dunsborough Eco Boat Tour’ takes guests on an adventure around the Cape. It is evident that when people see nature, they feel the want to protect it. This tour allows guests to observe wildlife in its most pure form with their own eyes. Fauna that we often see on these tours (season dependent) are Humpback Whales, Sea Lions and Dolphins. Our staff members are super enthusiastic about the local wildlife and just full of information that we share on the journey. 

We are also graced with some of the richest seagrass meadows globally right here in the South West. Seagrass meadows off South West WA have the largest biomass (mass of living organisms) and the highest species diversity anywhere in the world, with 27 recognized species which is super cool and super important to tell people about!

Not only do we have epic ecosystems underwater, but on the land too! The South West of Western Australia is one of the most botanically rich places on Earth and forms part of one of only 36 global biodiversity hotspots. It’s home to over 8,000 plant species, with nearly 80% found nowhere else in the world! How awesome is that?! Another reason we love to share our information with people and make a difference. 

Socially and culturally, the land is sacred and extremely important to protect not only for us that live here now but also for the traditional custodians of the land, the Wadandi tribe. On our eco tour we take you on a journey visiting caves you can only access via boat and giving you a talk on the history of the land and those that originally inhabited it. Sustainability is not only for the environment, but also for the people. 

How do I get involved? 

We will always post on our socials (Instagram/Facebook- Swandivedunsborough) when we are hosting upcoming clean-ups. Another great practice is purchasing a reusable trash bag and collecting a few bits whenever you go for a dive, walk along the beach or through the bush, it all makes a difference!

If you have any suggestions of social events that you would like to be held locally or other changes we can make, we are always open to suggestions! Write us an email to [email protected] !

Written by Meg