Gaining your PADI certification cards is rewarding. You unlock more and more of the underwater world each time you complete another one of PADI’s courses and specialities. In 2022, the PADI certification card have expanded to include breathtaking underwater images from award-winning photographers with important messages to share with the world. Each chosen to inspire, motivate, and represent you; the PADI members.
Explore our 2022 PADI certification cards below, and decide which one is you!
Great White Shark by Mike Coots
Bold. Steadfast. Fearless. The Great White Shark.
Mike Coots is an award-winning photographer and avid diver. Plus, a shark bite survivor! This photo was taken on his first dive with sharks just off of Guadalupe Island in Mexico.
“It was my first time with something so big underwater [and] we had great late afternoon light, which was a bonus,” Mike said. ”Seeing the beauty of these creatures firsthand will forever transform fear to healthy respect.”
If you order a replacement card and choose the great white shark image, we’ll donate 10 USD to Mike’s favourite nonprofit organisation; Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. This organisation works to reduce plastic pollution and protect marine life, including sharks.
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Lemon Shark by Mike Coots
Striking. Graceful. Bold. The Lemon Shark.
Our second card from award-winning photographer and shark bite survivor, Mike Coots, is the sunset Lemon shark design. This limited-edition replacement card was shot in the Bahamas at dusk, and will include a 10 USD donation to Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii when purchased.
“My ultimate shark photograph situation is dorsal fins at sunset. There is something so primitive and dramatic about it. I could shoot just this every day for the rest of my life and be happy. It’s a bit tough logistically because most boats want to be back at port and high and dry by the time sunset comes around. I think it’s definitely worth staying on the water to watch. Pure magic.”
Mike aims to reduce the scary stigma around sharks by depicting such stunning images of these majestic creatures. Mike believes that if he can love sharks, so can we all.
Spanish Shawl Nudibranch by Brandon Cole (only available in eCard)
Vibrant. Independent. Rebellious.
The Purple Spanish Shawl nudibranch is vibrant and eyecatching without a doubt. Interestingly, they get their rebellious purple colour from their diet; hydroids. Contrasting the purple but with a similar function, their orange cerata (plumes) act as a natural defense mechanism against predators.
“I photographed this beauty in a shallow kelp forest in Monterey Bay, California.” – Brandon Cole.
For every Spanish Shawl Nudibranch card purchased, 10 USD will be donated to the PADI AWARE Foundation™. They are a publicly funded non-profit with a strong mission to promote marine conservation and act on marine debris reduction, coral reef restoration, species protection and climate change.
Chromodoris Nudibranch by Brandon Cole
Intelligent. Bright. Distinctive. The Yellow Chromodoris Nudibranch.
Brandon Cole show this vivid yellow Nudibranch in “in Alor, Indonesia, using a 60mm macro lens on a Nikon D7100 camera.” The nudibranch is highly intelligent with several physical adaptations to warn predators to keep distance. The brilliant aposematic yellow coloration work with the rinophores (horns) to avoid predators. These help them taste ad sense pressure changed in their environment too! They’re certainly bright and distinctive, amongst many divers favourite macrolife.
This is a limited edition PADI certification card, with only 500 cards available. Plus, it’s available in PADI eCard™ or recycled plastic card $48.
Flight of the Whales by PADI AWARE Foundation™
Gentle. Inquisitive. Loyal. The Humpback Whale.
Humpback whales are gentle, curious beings who can live for up to 80 or 90 years. Their lives involve long migrations with their pods and their young. Due to commercial whaling, this species almost went extinct before 1966, but luckily have recovered well thanks to global conservation movements. But it takes work to stay this way and to let these beings live peacefully in their homes.
Photographer Shawn Heinrichs remembers “In that moment when I looked into the eyes of this mother and calf humpback whale, I felt both a deep connection, but also a somber reflection that we had pushed their species to the brink through commercial whaling. Perhaps more than anything, it reminded me, that we can and must show up now in unwavering defense of not only their species, but all the animals and habitats that make up our oceans”.
When purchasing one of these PADI certification cards, you can include a tax-deductable 10 USD donation to the PADI AWARE Foundation™. They are a nonprofit that pushes for global ocean conservation and advocates for marine animal protection. They have a mission to involve locals around the world in ocean conservation and create a balance between humanity and the ocean for a better present, and a better future.
Two Sharks by PADI AWARE Foundation™
Curious. Misunderstood. Cautious. The Great Hammerhead and the Tiger Shark.
Photographed by Shawn Keena in Tiger Beach, the Bahamas, the photo displays some of the ecosystem’s essential members. Although we are customed to look at sharks as terror-inducing and a high threat to human life, these creatures can be beautiful and graceful as divers know. They are essential to underwater life, their homes that we are lucky enough to explore.
Photographer Shane Keena said, “As a shark advocate and lover, I understand images like this can seem intimidating to those with fear or misunderstanding of big sharks, but I cannot stress enough that these creatures are graceful and powerful…curious yet cautious. They are apex predators at the top of the chain, but we immerse ourselves into their world and we owe them our respect. These critical keystone species are not mindless killing machines nor man-eaters. They are magnificent and powerful creatures that need our voices to be advocates for their protection.”
This card includes a tax-deductable 10 USD donation to the PADI AWARE Foundation™, a non-profit pushing for global ocean conservation. They work to involve locals around the world in ocean conservation while working to create harmony between humanity and the ocean.
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So, Which Design are You?
You may be bold and fearless, passionate about extreme cold diving conditions or tech-level depths and relate to qualities of the Great White Shark. Or, more gentle and inquisitive just like Humpback Whales. Whatever your qualities are, we can all relate to those of marine life. These are sentient, crucial beings that, as divers, we are lucky enough to meet in their world. It’s our mission to protect their environments and encourage others to do so for their future.
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