Members often receive printed materials to support their efforts to reduce impacts to the marine environment including the Green Fins icons, which visually outline best practices for divers and snorkellers.

Green Fins was established in 2004 as an initiative by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and was first implemented by the Secretariat of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA).

[6] In April 2013 a research paper was accepted by the scientific journal Ocean and Coastal Management titled "The Green Fins approach for monitoring and promoting environmentally sustainable scuba diving operations in South East Asia" and was published in Volume 78, June 2013, pages 35–44.

January 2014 saw the launch of the Green Fins website,[8] which aims to provide a platform of information for Green Fins members, volunteers and coordinators of the initiate, government staff who help manage the project in their country and the general public who can download materials (posters, videos, leaflets, guidelines) to help provide educational information to divers, snorkellers and dive centre staff.

[9] The Green Fins initiative is free to join and all dive operators have the opportunity to be involved in the approach to help in battling to reduce their negative impacts.

[10] There are no costs involved in joining but members are expected to enter into the spirit that they can always improve their management policies in an effort to adhere to the Code of Conduct and protect the marine environment.

Green Fins encourages dive centres to engage staff, tourists, local businesses and communities in environmental activities such as beach and reef clean ups.