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PADI International Clean Up Day makes a splash A children’s bicycle peddled its way to top of the list for most unusual rubbish collected on one small island whilst divers throughout Asia Pacific inspired children to keep beaches clean. Dive centres made a massive splash for trash for International Cleanup Day with over 1000 Project AWARE banners flying high for the biggest worldwide cleanup on record.
PADI International Clean Up Day makes a splash A children’s bicycle peddled its way to top of the list for most unusual rubbish collected on one small island whilst divers throughout Asia Pacific inspired children to keep beaches clean. Dive centres made a massive splash for trash for International Cleanup Day with over 1000 Project AWARE banners flying high for the biggest worldwide cleanup on record. “Divers and volunteers really are making a difference,” says Jenny Miller Garmendia, Director, Project AWARE Foundation. “It was awe-inspiring to see the level of diver and community involvement on International Cleanup Day. I was proud to be amongst the dedicated volunteers.” This year volunteers were keen to raise much needed funds for Project AWARE who spearheads the underwater clean up. New Zealand and Australia diving deep for debris First to take the plunge, divers in New Zealand donned their masks and grabbed their catch bags to dive deep for debris. Fantastic weather in Wellington ensured plenty of families were out taking an interest in Splash Gordan’s lagoon clean up and fundraising BBQ. Most people stopped to ask questions and show their children what was happening and why. From the North Island to the South Island across the beautiful stretch of Queen Charlotte Sound the Dive Marlborough team assisted by twelve young Brownies cleaned up Marlborough Sound and shore. It was an early wake up call for Capricorn Reef Diving, Australia as they were interviewed on ABC radio before the days activities began. Children had fun cleaning 3 km of Kemp Beach at Rockhampton and slept really well that night too! Inspiring youngsters was all in a days work for Underwater Sports Diving, Adelaide, where a 9 year old girl helped out day long and swore she hadn’t ever littered and never ever would! Volunteers pulled rubbish from under a jetty and enjoyed a sausage sizzle to raise funds. There was a real 'feel good' factor all weekend especially for AB Ocean Divers, Melbourne who said, “Here's to the next one - this event just grows and grows every year!” Indonesia, where small islands have a big impact making clean waters a reality Dive centres across Indonesia answered the call to action to make clean waters a reality. As Australians were getting rid of the trash and packing up their gear the small island of Nusa Lembongan, 14 miles off the south coast of Bali was about to show the world how much can be accomplished in one afternoon when people work together. 200 kg of rubbish was plucked from the reef by 18 divers from World Diving Lembongan whilst 140 volunteers cleared a truckload of trash from the beach. Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand reaching out to young people B&J Diving Centre, Tioman Island provided local school children with a trip to Coral Island for environmental talks by marine biologists and gave donations to Project AWARE for each diver involved in the cleanup. Educational activities also inspired local children on the tiny island of Sibatuan, off the coast of Sabah. Sipadan Scuba Divers discovered a children’s bicycle with over 350kgs of rubbish in Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The success of the day was put down to collaborative conservation which was the key to making a difference for many dive centres who joined together with locals for cleanups. Community spirit was overwhelming on the island of Siquijor, Philippines where over 300 people helped Sea Explorers and Siquijor Dive Safaris collect an amazing 4,325kg of trash. Over 60 cleanup events took place across the Philippines whilst dive centres in Thailand thought of new ways to be eco and raise funds for Project AWARE. Easy Divers, Koh Samui, decided to add cleanups to all dive master training to increase environmental awareness. Mermaids Dive Centre, Pattaya organised 2 large boats with 61 people aboard to collect 730kg of trash. The Pattaya People Newspaper joined in to cover the story and spread the message to the local community. Many of the raffle prizes drawn at the after party were generously donated back to be auctioned and raise more funds. Vietnam and South Korea clean as you go There was less rubbish for the Rainbow Dive Team, Vietnam to collect thanks to a year round “clean-as-you-go” policy. Divers used the day as an opportunity to encourage coral reef conservation. Wild weather in some regions including the threat of tsunamis and a typhoon failed to dampen the spirits of divers. Paranbada, NB Divers and Blue Divers, South Korea joined forces to make an even bigger splash for trash. Pacific Islands clear more rubbish than ever before Volunteers in the Cook Islands had a stark reminder of the dangers of marine debris last year when a whale stranded on Manuia beach had a plastic bag in her stomach when she died. Cleaning up for their fifth year The Dive Centre collected more rubbish than ever from Avarua Harbour and discovered a fake skeleton foot. Rubbish dumped by a tsunami in April was cleaned away from a shipwreck and a Japanese plane wreck by Dive Gizo, the Soloman Islands. Project AWARE would like to thank all dive centres and water enthusiasts for helping preserve their local aquatic environments. It was a big day for everyone but in the words of Lee Hee Koon, Deep Blue Scuba, Singapore “We got wet, we got dirty but we were happy that we did our small part.” |
