Scuba Diving Training, Trips, News and Blog
Splash for Trash
Saturday 20 Sept dawned uber bright and clear. I was a little excited and I woke early, so I lay in bed with my fresh coffee and a copy of the New Zealand Underwater 50 year celebration book.
Then I jumped out of bed and headed down to the diveshop for today was Project Aware Splash for Trash International Clean Up Day at Mission Bay.
Project AWARE Foundation spearheads global underwater cleanups during International Cleanup Day and year round. This annual volunteer event addresses the devastating impact of marine debris on the aquatic environment.
Project AWARE empowers dive centers and individuals to clean the world’s oceans, lakes, rivers and shorelines. Vvolunteers take part in practical cleanup solutions and collect data which is vital for change.
International Cleanup Day is held annually on the 3rd Saturday in September but cleanup and data collection activities are supported by Project AWARE, partners and volunteers on an ongoing basis.
In 2007 a total of 358,617 recorded volunteers helped Project AWARE clean 34,560 miles of shoreline and remove seven million pounds of rubbish.
Alex, one of the Global Dive Divemasters, had been organising a group of divers and a group of landlubbers to get out there and give Mission Bay a good clean up going over in support of the cleanup cause.
Some people though we were crazy heading off to Mission Bay as The Auckland City Council take pretty good care of the beach – and we didnt anticipate too much rubbish would be collected.
We all met at the diveshop at around 9 in the morning and had 6 divers! Myself, Leigh (another divemaster), Anna and her student completing a refersher and then Jakob and Claire. Anna organised sausages and bread and sauce for afterwards and off we headed.
Mission Bay - looking towards Waiheke Island and the Coromandel
Mission Bay - Rangitoto Island on the right and Devonport on the left
We geared up on the beach and gained quite a lot of interest. Ah ha! This was part of the plan!
We were generating interest and curiosity. Whilst we were diving, well pretty much snorkelling, along the beach and then the wall, lots of kids stopped on the sea wall to see the funny people in their masks and tanks.
Most people thought it was a funny place to dive but when we told them what we were doing out there, they were very supportive. The kids were asking about the equipment and what was out in the bay and what it was like to go scuba diving.
Me and Leigh. Drysuits at 2.5 metres! And on a sunny day too.
All in all, it was a great day. We collected an old handbag (the woman owner must have woken up on exactly how bloody ugly this thing was and then weighed it down and turfed it into the ocean – perhaps to save herself the embarrasment of the garbage man seeing it), loads and loads of bottles and glass, straws, and old glasses but unfortunately no lovely jewellery. I was very pleased to see that there was not a lot of fishing line out there. There were also no entangled animal life.
When we got back to Global Dive and saw what we had all collected, it was rather surprising. There was more garbage out there than any of us expected.
Anna and Anna also saw a seahorse. In Mission Bay! And a small stingray. I found a baby flounder. Woooo.
Thank you Alex for getting us (and the Oracle crew) organised. I am looking forward to next year.
Nice drysuit!