Under Water Clean Up Day 1 October 2009 by Jessica McGarty

TEC Deep, DNA Experience and Easy Divers Int. Red Sea joined forces to make an underwater clean up, supported by Project AWARE Foundation on 1st October to celebrate International Coastal Clean Up Day. The event was hosted by Easy Divers Int. Red Sea on their diving boat, Marine, and was coordinated by TEC Deep and DNA Experience.

Project AWARE’s longstanding International Cleanup Day in conjunction with Ocean Conservancy is the biggest underwater cleanup of its kind. The number of participating countries is increasing and this is a powerful demonstration that concern about the marine debris problem is surging around the globe. Please click on this link to see Project Aware's Marine Debris Factsheet.

Here are a few facts to make you think about how and where you dispose of your rubbish ... The ocean covers more than two-thirds of our planet. It is home to 97 percent of life on Earth. It drives and moderates our climate. It creates the weather. It is the ultimate source of the water we drink and much of the air we breathe. It directly feeds millions of people. It also absorbs much of the air and water pollution generated by a world population approaching seven billion. But our ocean is sick, and our actions have made it so. We must recognise that the ocean is inextricably connected to us. When we allow rubbish and other pollution to get into the ocean, we directly affect its health and our own.

Ocean Conservancy has collected data during the International Coastal Clean Up since 1989. The data sheets used include specific debris items and groupings related to debris-producing activities and sources. The groupings identify the behaviour associated with the presence of rubbish. The result is a unique global, online database of debris information collected from Clean Up sites around the world – the Marine Debris Index. This valuable information is an effective tool for educating the public, business, industry, and government officials about the presence of marine debris and how and where to take specific actions.

For our Clean Up, a group of enthusiastic divers travelled to Sha’ab El Erg, a large reef to the north of Hurghada, on board the Easy Divers’ boat Marine. The first two dives of the day were ordinary fun dives and then the plan was to make the third Clean Up dive in the lagoon where many boats are mooring every day.

There were 15 willing volunteers for the Clean Up despite being tired from the two earlier dives. The coordinator from TEC Deep / DNA Experience made a briefing regarding protocol and safety for the dive and then everyone jumped in! Small teams of divers moved in an easterly direction further inside the lagoon collecting rubbish as they went.

In total around 35 kilograms of rubbish were collected including a beach towel, very large bones, large quantities of fishing line and a boat compressor filter. It was clear that the majority of rubbish came from the boats that visit the diving site. We were saddened that people who visit the site to enjoy the underwater world and people who earn their living from the sea can allow their rubbish to be dumped there.

Once all volunteer divers were back on board Marine, we had a debriefing and a prize giving. All volunteers received their Certificates of Participation and the volunteer who collected the strangest piece of rubbish received a limited edition Tshirt, made especially for the event.