 Project AWARE sends a “BIG Thank You!” to everyone who participated in International Cleanup day 20 September 2008. A fantastic effort was put in by all volunteers, cleanup coordinators and dive centres. The feel good factor of cleaning up our oceans while having fun with likeminded others can’t be beat.
International Cleanup Day was a huge success with almost 300 events in Asia Pacific and nearly 700 worldwide. Tens of thousands of volunteers worked hard and had fun cleaning up our marine environments. What makes Project AWARE’s Cleanup Day unique is that crucial data is collected and analyzed. An annual report is compiled in conjunction with Ocean Conservancy in order to help educate people of the importance of debris prevention and summarize the changing health of our oceans.  Pattaya, Thailand
Mermaid Dive Center, a PADI 5 Star Center in Pattaya, Thailand organized their cleanup day on Koh Sak Island, just off the coast of Pattaya. Hailed as the biggest ever Project AWARE cleanup day in Pattaya, 176 participants transported in the six boats that took part in this massive environmental effort. At the end of a successful day 1.5 tons of trash, including bottles, tyres, syringes, radios, fishing nets, car batteries and many more items were off loaded on to pickup trucks and taken to the Pattaya Waste Disposal area “Mermaid is a Project AWARE Go ECO Operator promoting ecotourism and supporting conservation all year round,” said Sheena Walls, General Manager of Mermaids Dive Center. “The Go ECO program brings in a lot of business for us as well as allowing us to protect our marine environments for future generations. Project AWARE’s Go ECO campaign is one of the fastest growing programs with over 130 dive centre’s in the Asia Pacific region plus many more worldwide. Looking for the Go ECO certification is a great way to locate fantastic places to have an eco holiday. Townsville, Australia
The Dive Centre who raised the most funds from taking the Project AWARE’s Cleanup Challenge was Remote Area Dive in Townsville, Australia. “Our clean up day went swimmingly. Thirty four volunteers pitched in and pulled up 180kg of trash from Breakwater Marina and also raised $800 for Project Aware,” said Neil Chan. “We at Remote Area Dive believe that there are four critical components to making a diver – education, equipment, experience and environmental awareness and that is why we see it as vital to our industry’s very existence to participate in International Clean Up Day every year. Not only does it allow us to do our bit to physically clean up the seas, but it also allows us to share our passion for the oceans.  Bali, Indonesia
Bali Crystal Divers combined cleanup activities with Instructor Examinations conducted by PADI Course Director George Wegman in Sanur Channel, Bali, Indonesia. “Despite stress and anxiety about their PADI Instructor Examination presentations and results, the candidates all elected to show their commitment to marine conservation by spending some time cleaning up both above and underwater,” said George. The Project AWARE Scubapro net collection bags, available free with a donation of $30 or more, were put to good use. “I will always clip it to my BCD and at the end of the dive show my students that I do a “Pick 5” by picking up five pieces of non biodegradable rubbish every dive,” said Colin Melrose the Instructor Development Manager. “Just Pick Five, to get a High Five!” says George. Bali Crystal Divers supports conservation efforts all year by including the Project AWARE student donation in all their diving courses. Sabah, Malaysia
The underwater reef cleaning campaign was successfully held in collaboration with the International Year of the Reef 2008 (IYOR) at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Sabah, Malaysia jointly organized by Borneo Divers and SR Marine Services. “Our Assistant Minister of Tourism Cultures and Environment YB Encik Bolkiah Hj Ismail applauded Project AWARE for organizing this global Cleanup Campaign, “said Clement Lee of Borneo Divers. The highlight of the day was an "Adopt a Coral" project where the baby corals were carefully transferred to a underwater nursery for rehabilitation before being permanently cemented to different dive sites. Divers did a massive underwater clean up while non divers tidied up the beach areas which was reported on the RTM TV evening news. “Awareness of underwater marine conservation is low compared to on shore where reports are easily obtained. However, divers are helping change this by reporting the devastating state of our coral reefs,” said Rita Ng of SR Marine Services. Manly, Australia
Dive Centre Manly held its cleanup event in conjunction with Project AWARE and PADI staff in Manly Cove, Australia. Forty-two divers, 16 snorkellers and 21 beach cleaners picked up 81.5 kilos of rubbish. Unusual items including a boomerang, a mop, a couple chairs were found as well as a huge amount of plastic and cigarette butts. “As this is a delicate area with resident sea horses in the swimming nets and fragile sea grass everyone took great care to respect the environment, said Richard Nicholls of Dive Centre Manly. “There was significantly less trash this year than last which is an excellent sign that people’s awareness and concern for environment conservation is increasing.” The BBQ plus Mathew Cater’s amazing “World’s Greatest Brownies” in five different flavours raised $500.00 of much needed funds for Project AWARE 
Sponsors
Proudly sponsored by Scubapro Uwatec, as well as Philippines own Aquaventure Whitetip Dive Supply (AWDS), International Cleanup Day reaches 23 countries throughout Asia Pacific and empowers over 100,000 volunteers globally to take action. Everyone had fun while contributing to healthy, clean underwater environments. Go to www.projectaware.org to make a difference. Find the nearest cleanup event to volunteer at or organize your own event. Email
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