28th May 2011

Beach & Dive Site Clean Up

We were at Crystal at 9.30 after stopping at the supermarket to buy some biodegradable bin bags. All of the DMT's (Divemaster Trainees) were scheduled to help so we had around 31 people helping which was amazing.

I think the best turnout in a long time, which goes to show what a bit of badgering and promotion can do.

After a quick chat, people started cleaning the beach in front of Crystal and all around the dive resort. The amount of plastic, broken flip flops, bottles and junk behind the bar area was incredible. We filled so many bags we had to ask nicely to use the Crystal taxi truck to take all the rubbish down to the pier, and even after that, there was more! I really don't understand peoples attitude to the disposal of rubbish.

The Dive Site clean up started at 2pm, so all geared up... the clean up crew headed to the boat. On board were bags, baskets, and scissors for cutting nets or other things that may need to be cut free from coral.

Divided into teams, we headed off in our own directions and started the hunt for garbage. The visibility at Mango Bay was stunning, and before long we began to find small bits of net, mesh bags, fishing lines and plastic bags wrapped around some of the smaller corals... which if left would suffocate them and then algae would grown over them, killing them.

It was very time consuming but always rewarding. After a 90 minute dive, we surfaced and handed up our bags of rubbish.

Back on deck, a few photos were taken and then we headed back to the main pier, to get the rubbish we had collected and put with our earlier collection for the bin men to take away.