Dive in and make a difference.
Join Eaglehawk Dive Centre’s PADI Giant Kelp Restoration Specialty course and be part of Tasmania’s pioneering efforts to restore giant kelp forests.
Learn, dive, and help bring back one of the ocean’s most extraordinary ecosystems.
This project received grant funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species Program.
We also acknowledge the generous support of additional partners, donors, and community contributors.
Reviving Giant Achievements
PADI Giant Kelp Restoration Specialists
Outplanting dives organised
Outplanted patches
Juvenile Kelp planted
PADI Giant Kelp Restoration Specialty Course
Once towering underwater forests, Tasmania’s giant kelp has declined by more than 95% due to ocean warming, nutrient-poor waters, and the spread of invasive sea urchins. Restoring these iconic ecosystems is both urgent and inspiring, and you can be part of the solution.
Researchers at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), led by Associate Professor Scott Ling, have developed the specialized outplanting techniques needed to restore giant kelp effectively.
In 2025, Eaglehawk Dive Centre instructor Pauline Nuttens, with IMAS students Zoila Newell and Noah Murphy and support from dive centre owners Mick Baron and Karen Gowlett-Holmes, developed the PADI Giant Kelp Forest Restoration Specialty course. Certified by PADI, the course equips recreational divers with the skills, knowledge, and safety practices needed to actively participate in kelp restoration projects.
More than just a training program, the course builds a network of passionate divers ready to support restoration sites, and advocates for the protection of these globally significant ecosystems. By joining, you’ll not only expand your diving horizons but also play a direct role in helping Tasmania’s giant kelp forests thrive again.
The Reviving Giant Project engages dive communities, scientists, marine industries, government, and Aboriginal communities to support the recovery of Tasmania’s kelp forests.
How to support Kelp Restoration from shore
Not everyone can join us underwater, but you can still play a vital role in restoring Tasmania’s giant kelp forests. Your donation helps fund outplanting days, diving equipment, and essential restoration activities – keeping our volunteer divers in the water and our kelp forests growing again.
This project received grant funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species Program.
