Wicked Diving has been awarded the prestigious rating of 3 starfish by the World Wildlife Foundation.
Signing Blue
Signing Blue is promoting not just responsible but sustainable tourism. A hint of what companies get evaluated on: from taking care of the environment, having recycling projects, minimizing light pollution, protecting our employees, paying taxes, hiring and training the local community and providing health insurance. Basically… just doing the right thing!
Signing Blue is the overall picture of an ethical operated company; not just towards guest, but towards all stakeholders involved.
While it may come to a surprise to you, our guests and friends, that many diving companies in Indonesia do not offer even the most basic conservation or recycling programs. But it’s true. It’s can be far worse treatment for the staff – with lack of working rights, avoiding all taxes, putting burden of workplace injuries onto the employees…and lack of basic safety standards. While Wicked Diving has always strived to do this…the right thing…there has been no way to prove it. Now with this new initiative, it is a external certification. And we are very proud to be involved in helping support WWF as they encourage more and more dive centers to follow these guidelines.
The Tree Pillars of Signing Blue
Environment
How is Wicked Diving involved with the environment? Which actions are being taken to minimize waste, water and resources? What is the company doing to educate people and be an active advocate on the protection of endangered animal species.
Social Economic Culture
An evaluation on how Wicked Diving sustains the local culture, involves guest and supports the local community.
Effective Management
An assessment of the training of local employees, support of women in the work field, quality and service, and guest quality. Is Wicked Diving besides this abiding the laws for the safety and protection of employees.
So in general our workers rights.
How we can Improve
This was not just a simple “you are certified” and away-we-go situation. Nope. There is plenty of ways we improve! We had already started a discussion on our Facebook group last week about ways we can improve our sustainable tourism standards…and now WWF gave us plenty of feedback on ways to improve! What we took away from our meeting with WWF Indonesia is that for most of the evaluated topics, we will score in a much higher range. We are doing it! We are just not telling anyone…
Part of being a responsible operator is also to spread the message; to tell the world what you are doing, to open up the conversation and to get people involved.
How you can help
On our Komodo Liveaboard trips you are involved with the local community; you dive with local dive guides, that are showing off ‘their Komodo’ and you can even be part of their training. We always need a couple of stranded people for our routine rescue exercises ?
You have to opportunity to help out with a beach cleanup. Every trip the staff will organise a clean up, while we are on the way to our sunset viewpoint over Komodo National Park.
You can help us out by throwing your trash in selected bins only, and being aware of your electricity usage. Or even by not bringing single use plastic onto the boat at all.
By joining one of our trips you support the Wicked Good Foundation, 2% of our revenue goes towards the training of local diveguides, our recycling program, education of local schools in environmental matters and English.
If you are looking for a responsible dive liveaboard operator look no further. Be the change you want to see in the world.
We want to thank Signing Blue and WWF for their time and support. We are delighted with the rating
