Red Sea Turtles Project

Exciting News for Marine Conservation in the Red Sea

Join us in welcoming three incredible PADI Course Directors: Waleed Abd el Moubdy, Ashraf R. Muminah, and Ehab M. Al-Jawi. They have officially joined us for the PADI Marine Turtle Conservation Specialty Instructor Trainer rating.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to them for their invaluable support in translating and revising the Instructor Manual and educational materials into Arabic. Thanks to their hard work, we can better serve the wider diving community across the Red Sea. The Arabic material set will be available to the public very soon.

We also want to celebrate and welcome another brilliant 34 PADI Instructors from all over Saudi Arabia who are stepping up for this initiative and are now fully certified to teach the RED SEA TURTLES PROJECT™ PADI Distinctive Specialty Course. We are looking forward to this fruitful collaboration, and their enthusiasm is highly rewarding to us.

A special thank you goes to Captain Waleed Abd el Moubdy and his teams at Dive Pro Jeddah and Shark Family for setting up the training and for their contribution to bringing us all together.
Calling All PADI Instructors

Are you ready to take your teaching beyond the water and become part of real-world conservation?

You can now apply for the official PADI Marine Turtle Conservation Specialty Instructor rating and inspire your students to protect one of the ocean’s most iconic species.

To support the community, Red Sea Project is providing this training and all materials completely FREE of charge for renewed PADI Instructors with active teaching status.
How to Get Started:

1- Submit the online application form to RED SEA PROJECT™. link: https://www.redsea-project.com/redseaturtlesproject-padi-specialty

2-Wait for approval of your application. Once approved, send your signed authorization letter, together with your Specialty Instructor Application, to your local PADI Training Department.

3- Enjoy teaching!

Please note: Your application is subject to final review and approval by your regional PADI Office.

Two years in a row! We are incredibly honored to receive the PADI Pillars of Change Award for Outstanding Contribution to Ocean Conservation once again. This time as a direct tribute to the work of our PADI Eco Center in the Red Sea. This isn't just an award; it is a testament to the dedication of our team and the community that drives our mission forward.

This recognition is especially meaningful as it coincides with PADI’s 60th Anniversary. Receiving this honor while the global diving community is gathered together perfectly highlights the strength of our collective purpose. We want to extend our sincere gratitude to our colleagues at fellow PADI Dive Centers and the members who have supported us. Your camaraderie proves that we are truly stronger as one global family.

We owe a profound debt of gratitude to PADI and the PADI AWARE Foundation for their unwavering mentorship and belief in our vision. Most importantly, we thank our community of citizen scientists, students, and the team for fueling this journey. Together, we are setting a new standard for sustainable marine tourism. Not just as a goal, but as a blueprint to secure the long-term resilience and vitality of the Red Sea.

At the 44th International Sea Turtle Society (ISTS) Symposium in Hawaiʻi, it was an honor to have the RED SEA PROJECT™ work shown alongside hundreds of global initiatives. During the African Regional Meeting, we presented how local collaborations provide the "Ground Truth" for conservation issues unique to the Egyptian Red Sea.

Our scientific contributions were led by a presentation during the Population Biology Session: Projected Primary S*x Ratios, the Loss of Demographic Refuges, and Feminization in the Red Sea During the Past 124 Years.

Our research posters further highlighted the impact of citizen science, strong collaboration, and community empowerment. Research Poster 074 focused on injury and mortality patterns in the Egyptian Red Sea, while Poster 156 extended this approach to the Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan; meanwhile, Poster 093 investigated how "hitchhiker load" (epibionts) reduces host grazing efficiency.

A huge thank you to our partners and collaborators for their hard work on all fronts, and to the ISTS for hosting such a dynamic event.

Calling all PADI Instructors!
Take your teaching beyond the water and become part of real-world conservation. You can now apply for the PADI official Marine Turtle Conservation Specialty Instructor rating and inspire divers to protect one of the ocean’s most iconic species.
To get started, simply follow these steps:
1- Submit the online application form to RED SEA PROJECT™.
https://www.redsea-project.com/redseaturtlesproject-padi-specialty
2-Wait for approval of your application.
Once approved, send the signed authorization letter, together with your Specialty Instructor Application, to your local PADI Training Department.
3- Enjoy teaching!
RED SEA PROJECT™ provide this training and materials FREE of charge for active teaching status and renewed PADI Instructors.
Your application is subject to review and approval by your PADI Office

PADI
PADI AWARE Foundation

New Scientific Publication Alert
Our latest research, published in The Herpetological Bulletin (Issue 173, Autumn 2025), reveals a new green turtle migration path between Zabargad Island and Marsa Abu Dabbab, Egypt, identified through our citizen science programme using flipper-tag data and photo-ID.

Marsa Abu Dabbab, which recorded nesting only in 2022, is confirmed as an important feeding ground, reinforcing that Zabargad Island is one of the Red Sea’s most valuable green turtle rookeries. We also documented a tagged female harvested for consumption, highlighting the vulnerability of nesting turtles and the need for stronger protection.

Marsa Abu Dabbab remains an intermittent, low-density nesting site. Reducing artificial night lighting could improve nesting success while allowing responsible recreation. These findings underline that every historic nesting beach in the Red Sea must be protected, as turtles may return decades after hatching, and beaches are not used every year.

A huge thanks to Blue Ocean Dive Centres and Resorts, Egyptian Environmental Affairs, and the PADI AWARE Foundation for their support, and to our team, interns, and citizen scientists whose contributions made this research possible.
Read more: https://www.thebhs.org/.../issue-number-173-autumn-2025

A Thousand Future Conservationists: Our Turtle Trunk Workshop Reaches a Major Milestone

We're thrilled to announce a significant achievement for our Eco-School educational program: our Turtle Trunk Workshops have now welcomed nearly 1,000 participants!

Developed by the Inwater Research Group, the Turtle Trunk is an innovative educational tool that brings marine conservation to life. As part of our full-day program at the Marine Conservation Center, students use this hands-on tool to practice assessing simulated sea turtle injuries. Through this engaging activity, they learn to make critical decisions about whether to rehabilitate or release, gaining valuable insight into the real-world challenges faced by marine biologists.

This milestone is a powerful testament to our mission: to inspire and empower the next generation of conservation leaders through practical, impactful education. A huge thank you to our incredible team and volunteers—your passion and dedication have made these programs a resounding success.

New Scientific Publication Alert!

Studies of the injury and mortality patterns of sea turtles are vital to understanding what is needed for threatened and endangered species to recover. The objective of this research was to use citizen science sourced data to study the anthropogenic and natural causes of mortality and injury to sea turtles in the Egyptian Red Sea.

Our results suggest that anthropogenic factors were responsible for the majority of sea turtle mortality and injuries. Fishing was believed to be the major source of mortality, while boat strikes were the major source of injuries in live turtles and the second cause of mortality.

Sea turtles near the largest city in our study, Hurghada, had higher boat strike rates, suggesting a coastal urbanization effect. There is intentional hunting and carapace scute harvesting of hawksbill turtles, an IUCN Critically Endangered species, within the largest city. Hawksbill turtles appear more vulnerable to coastal urbanization than green turtles, but both species are threatened with anthropogenic effects, especially during the nesting season.

No turtles were observed at fish restaurants after 2015, showing the effectiveness of law enforcement and public awareness campaigns. This study represents the first assessment of mortality and injury patterns and provides a baseline to assess future changes in the intensity of anthropogenic disturbances in the Red Sea.

Read More: https://lnkd.in/dzNqGmzY

A heartfelt thank you and congratulations to the incredible team behind this publication
Indiana University
محميات البحر الأحمر Red Sea Protected Areas - National Parks of Egypt
وزارة البيئة المصرية - Ministry of Environment
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries - Egypt
المعهد القومي لعلوم البحار والمصايد
Blue Planet Liveaboards
AUC The American University in Cairo
PADI AWARE Foundation
PADI

We were honored to welcome the Community School of Marsa Alam and its 18 students for a full day at our Marine Conservation Center as part of our Eco-School educational program. Community schools are locally adapted learning models designed for children, providing flexible and inclusive access to basic education for local communities in rural settings.

During their visit, the students engaged in hands-on learning activities using the Turtle Trunk—an educational tool developed by Inwater Research Group—where they practiced assessing simulated sea turtle injuries and made decisions on rehabilitation or release. They also took part in educational games, handcraft sessions, and interactive lessons on marine life using microscopes.

We are deeply grateful to our team and volunteers who made this day both impactful and enjoyable for everyone involved.

This visit marks the beginning of a long-term engagement. We look forward to continuing the program with the same group of students through swimming and snorkeling classes, while nurturing their growth as future citizen scientists committed to protecting the Red Sea.

Learn more:
www.redsea-project.com

We're thrilled to celebrate the success of the PADI Dive Instructors from TGI Diving Marsa Alam in completing the RED SEA TURTLES PROJECT™ – a PADI Distinctive Specialty Course. This program empowers divers with internationally recognized certification, enabling them to contribute significantly to marine turtle conservation through citizen science and non-invasive monitoring.

Their dedication and local expertise are vital in protecting the Red Sea's precious marine ecosystems. By participating in citizen science and monitoring activities, they play a crucial role in advancing marine environmental education and sustainable resource management.

Following the training, we conducted interactive sessions with the Turtle Trunk, an invaluable educational tool developed by Inwater Research Group.

We extend our sincere gratitude to TGI Diving Marsa Alam for their continuous support and commitment to marine conservation.
PADI Instructors interested in earning the RED SEA TURTLES PROJECT™ Instructor Rating can apply by:
1- Submitting the online application form to RED SEA PROJECT™
2- Awaiting approval from RED SEA PROJECT™, then submitting the signed application form along with the Specialty Instructor Application to your local PADI Training Department.
Learn more and apply here:
https://www.redsea-project.com/redseaturtlesproject-padi-specialty