Tim Latimer’s journey into scuba diving wasn’t quite like most. In fact, he never really pursued diving in the first place.

When he was in high school, his school’s faculty organized a trip to the Bahamas for the students — Latimer was dying to go, but there was one important catch: Students would be diving on the trip, and it was a requirement for any interested attendee to earn his or her certification. Although he never had much interest in the sport, Latimer reluctantly signed up for a scuba diving course and ended up loving it.

Fast forward to today, and Latimer’s affinity for scuba diving has led to an advanced professional career. He’s not only a seasoned diving instructor; in fact, he’s reached one of the highest levels in dive certifications — course director. Alongside his colleague Gabrielle Holder, Latimer has created Instructor Development Philippines, a program in which he and his colleagues lead PADI-certified scuba diving instructor development courses.

With his passion for ocean protection and dedication to marine conservation, Latimer has developed a special program within the instructor development course that includes Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris specialty course. While teaching other divers how to become qualified instructors, he also teaches them to lead Dive Against Debris efforts in their future interactions with dive students.

As part of Instructor Development Philippines training program, all enrolled students are required to organize a Dive Against Debris. Newly certified instructors in his program are not only qualified to teach their students the Dive Against Debris specialty course but also get the chance to make a direct positive change in the underwater environment and enjoy a dive together.

“Every time an instructor teaches a new diver, there is an opportunity to instill in them a respect for the underwater world,” says Latimer. By implementing Dive Against Debris specialty course training into the Instructor Development Philippines coursework, Latimer’s conservation efforts have a ripple effect.

By teaching the teacher, Latimer is helping to spread Dive Against Debris principles far and wide. “We want to empower dive instructors to be role models for marine conservation,” says Latimer, “no matter where they teach in the future.”

Want to learn more about Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris specialty course? Visit projectaware.org/diveagainstdebrisspecialty .