PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE
We spend a lot of our time in the ocean. We love it and want to do everything we can to protect it for generations to come.
Environmental conservation sits at the heart of everything we do at The Fifth Point. As scuba divers, we've got a very special set of skills that allow us to explore beneath the waves. Unfortunately, it also opens our eyes to the many threats faced by the ocean. The one that hits us the most is marine debris. We've seen first-hand the impact this has on ecosystems and marine life and we want to do something about it.
We organise regular clean-up activities - underwater and along local beaches and rivers so everyone can get involved!
NO TOUCH, NO TAKE
Our divers buck the trend when it comes to attitude in the water. We won't take anything from the water (unless it's trash of course!)
We won't strip artefacts from wrecks or remove marine life from the water. The only thing that we'll ever pick up is rubbish... usually pockets full at a time!
Our divers respect our local wrecks - there's plenty of them! We won't ever take artefacts from the sea floor - what's the point? It makes the wreck less interesting the next time you visit.
We proud to be one of the few dive centres in the UK that doesn't hunt for scallops or lobsters. In fact, we put them back! Our friends at the lobster hatchery in Amble ask us to take baby lobsters to release into the wild and help sustain local populations. Keep an eye on our events to find out when the next release is scheduled.
ALL OF THE R's
The mantra of reduce, refuse, reuse, recycle runs through the core of our business. Even our dive centre is made from reclaimed materials!
Environmental conservation sits at the heart of everything we do at The Fifth Point. As scuba divers, we've got a very special set of skills that allow us to explore beneath the waves. Unfortunately, it also opens our eyes to the many threats faced by the ocean. The one that hits us the most is marine debris. We've seen first-hand the impact this has on ecosystems and marine life and we want to do something about it.
We teach all our students to be Ocean Ambassadors. They learn how to use their scuba skills for ocean conservation. Our divers spend a great deal of time perfecting their buoyancy, so they have zero impact on the reefs they visit. They also take additional environmental courses and workshops that are part of their core training including the Project AWARE Specialty and PADI Dive Against Debris Course.
100% AWARE PARTNER
For every student we certify, we make a donation to PADI AWARE Foundation on their behalf. In return, all of our students can pick which limited edition design they'd like to have on their PADI Certification Card!
PADI AWARE works with scuba divers across the globe to protect underwater environments. The goal? To create a world where the ocean doesn't need protecting and we're 100% on board!
Nic and James have worked closely with the PADI AWARE foundation for a long time. We're big supporters of the charity and not only does The Fifth Point make regular donations on behalf of certified students, we also hold fund raising activities throughout the year. The biggest of which is TeeTurtle - where the team go alcohol free for the whole of October!
PADI GREEN STAR
We meet the rigorous criteria set by PADI that shows our dedication to conservation - not just in the water, but in general business operations too.
In March 2019 we became the UK's first ever PADI Green Star Centre. An accolade that most people thought was only available to dive centres in tropical destinations and definitely not possible for a dive centre in England! Well, we proved everyone wrong on that one as we smashed the criteria that was required to gain the award!
Since then, a few other dive centres have followed our lead. Who's going to be next and declare their commitment to environmental protection?10
Green Star measures your environmental impact on everything from in water activities to general day to day business operations. There are still many things we would like to change in the dive centre to increase our score even more and we're working hard to improve all the time!
GREEN FINS PHILOSOPHY
Green Fins operate in some of the most beautiful tropical diving locations in the world. We see no reason why the accepted code of conduct for warm water diving should not be applied to scuba diving in the UK!
The Green Fins initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling industry. You'll recognise their code of conduct from dive briefings if you've had the pleasure of scuba diving in beautiful tropical destinations.
However, bring those divers back to the UK and for some inexplicable reasons that code of conduct goes out the window! It appears to be acceptable to remove marine life, to strip wrecks, to clamber all over our rocky reefs. At The Fifth Point we recognise that this is NOT OK, our students and divers feel the same. Our waters may be cold, but our reefs are not indestructible. The coral and critters that live in UK waters are just as delicate as any marine life you might find in the tropics. That's why The Fifth Point pledge to follow the Green Fins philosophy. All rules apply... except wearing gloves - we'll let you off on that one!
OCEAN PROTECTION BUILT IN
Our core courses include environmental extras to create the next generation of Ocean Ambassadors
Our divers spend a lot of time perfecting their skills - particularly those that are going to help them protect underwater environments. We include extra sessions in our on site training tank to practise buoyancy on all our courses plus Subscription Members can jump in whenever they like!
Our core courses have an environmental twist with PADI Open Water including the Project AWARE Specialty course and PADI Advanced Open Water including the Dive Against Debris Specialty.
ECO-COMMERCE
Our sister company The Honest Diver brings The Fifth Point's environmental approach and applies it to online retail.
The Fifth Point is a dive centre in the North East of England. Most of our customers come from the surrounding areas. We created The Honest Diver so we could reach divers all over the UK. You'll be able to get all the advice and personalised service you'd expect from walking into The Fifth Point, but online and with our environmental twist.
The Honest Dive is a local dive centre in your living room - come and take a seat!