Scuba Santas

Did you know Santa is a diver? Apparently when he's not making toys and flying with reindeer, this jolly red fellow is a fan of the underwater world! The National Dive and Activity Center in Gloucestershire, England, hosts Scuba Santas every year since 2007, where divers have the chance to embrace their inner Kris Kringle. The dive raises money for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution), a charity that save lives at sea, providing a 24-hour rescue service. Scuba Santas has raised over $20,000 for the RNLI over the years, keeping true to the holiday spirit of giving back!

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Help the Polar Bears!

The 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears remains as one of the strongest enviornmental agreements, but that doesn't mean polar bears have it smooth as ice. While they are no longer hunted, polar bears now face habitat and finding prey issues due to sea ice loss. With their population declining and many growing hungrier, a festive way to help them is by adopting one for the holidays! By adopting a polar bear from Polar Bears International, you'll support research and action efforts.

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Save a Manatee!

'Tis the season to adopt a manatee! The Save the Manatee Club is offering special holiday adoptions, and they need your help! Save the Manatee Club was created in 1981 by Jimmy Buffett and former Florida Governor Bob Graham to raise public awareness about the numerous threats to endangered manatees and their aquatic habitat. The club does a number of things to help these gentle giants, from education to rehabilitation.

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Adopt a Whale

The Allied Whale in Bar Harbor, Maine, is a marine mammal research group that promotes conservation efforts. Their adopt a whale program is popular during the holiday season, giving people choosing to adopt the full history on their special whale! Click here to adopt a mother and calf humpback!

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Adopt a Coral Reef

Coral Reefs need holiday love, too. The Nature Conservancy's Adopt a Coral Reef program helps fund coral reef projects in The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Palau and Papua New Guinea. These beautifully biodiverse eco-systems are facing destruction, and if the present rate continues, 70% of the world's coral reefs will be destroyed by the year 2050, according to The Nature Conservancy.

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Dive Against Debris

It's Christmas morning, and you just cracked open your new dive gear. What better way to use it than help clean up the ocean? Project Aware, a movement of scuba divers protecting the planet, launched Dive Against Debris to encourage debris removal efforts internationally. Last year they hosted a Christmas beach clean-up in Cape Verde, and have had many other events around the globe. Don't let your holiday vacation go to waste, make a difference and give back!

For more on the marine debris problem, click here

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