Diving Townsville

When scuba divers surfaced from 800 dive sites around the world this International Cleanup Day, 25 September, people took notice. Volunteer divers hauled up tonnes of debris from underwater environments including tires, shopping carts, electronics and countless cigarette butts and plastic containers.

“About 80 percent of the rubbish we collected was plastic,” said Suzy Phipps, Project AWARE Cleanup Organizer from Utila Dive Center. “One volunteer owns a small snack bar where they use disposable plastic cups, plates and cutlery. After joining this cleanup, the volunteer vowed to find alternatives for his bar.”

Borneo Divers, Borneo, Malaysia used International Cleanup Day as an opportunity to launch its “Say No to Plastic Bottles” campaign. The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Yang Berhormat Datuk Masidi, officially opened International Cleanup Day and announced a ban on all plastic bottles on the islands.

Project AWARE Foundation, leading underwater cleanup events worldwide for 17 years, continues to tabulate data collected from global site organizers this September. “The difference is really in the data,” states Jenny Miller Garmendia, Executive Director, Project AWARE Foundation. “Removing debris from underwater environments is an amazing first step. But to really attack debris issues at the source, we need to understand where the debris comes from and how it ends up in the ocean. That’s what dive volunteers are helping us do – collect data that will help prevent debris over the long-term.”

In 2009, more than 30,000 AWARE Divers and volunteers from 92 countries documented and removed harmful litter surfacing with more than 91,000 plastic bottles and nearly 79,000 plastic bags. Derelict fishing gear such as abandoned traps, nets and fishing line are also of increasing concern due to the extensive damage they cause to underwater habitats.

“The highlight of the day was freeing more than 100 trevally that were caught in an abandoned fish trap. We also removed a big fishing net and freed snappers and crab,” commented Marita Fassbender from Easy Divers, Koh Samui, Thailand.

The pinnacle cleanup event of the year, International Cleanup Day, is held each September in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy. But underwater cleanup efforts don’t just end in September. Project AWARE and dedicated dive volunteers tackle the devastating impacts of marine debris year round.

“International Cleanup Day, organized each September, is a very visual way to highlight a very serious and persistent marine debris issue,” states Jenny Miller Garmendia, Executive Director, Project AWARE Foundation. “But AWARE divers are also committed to the cause year-round with many of them conducting local underwater cleanups multiple times each year.”

After 21 years of activating dive volunteers to protect underwater environments, Project AWARE prepares to re-launch in 2011 with a new organizational vision, mission and strategies for the future. “We’re currently preparing to re-launch our long-standing organization, with new strategies to take these marine debris efforts to a whole new level. And we’re excited to work alongside these dedicated volunteers that fuel this critical cause,” says Garmendia.

Take action with Project AWARE Foundation and support ocean protection efforts worldwide at www.projectaware.org.