As I was scrolling through my twitter I came across an amazing feet that took place under four months ago, that directly relates to the kind of projects I’ve been looking into in regards to scuba diving for environmental purposes. 633 people gathered on Deerfield Beach in Florida in June of this year and broke the world record for the largest underwater cleanup.
Twitter feed screen capture
The previous record of 614 divers, was set in the Red Sea back in 2015 by a team led by Egyptian Army scuba diver Ahmed Gabr, according to EcoWatch. It is unfortunate that this is a record that even needs to exist, but what an amazing way to get tons of people involved in scuba diving for such a good cause!
The cleanup was organized by the Dixie Divers and Deerfield Beach Women’s Club and drew divers from many places, including different continents, to remove what Project AWARE said to perhaps be as much as 3,200 pounds of waste, including plastics and fishing lines.
screen capture of video footage of Deerfield Beach, courtesy of EcoWatch and Jack Fishman
This amazing story lead me to further exploration of the various related websites and organizations tied to this twitter post and I discovered EcoWatch and Project AWARE. EcoWatch is an environmental news site that produces original content from a team of reporters with stories relating to environmental issues all over the world. A great resource for any concerned citizen wanting to stay informed.
Screen capture of Project AWARE twitter post, 2019.
Project AWARE is a registered nonprofit organization initiated as a conservation project by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), who remains one of their largest partners now that it is its own independent organization. Together with other partners they tackle conservation issues and have for over 25 years. They work with divers all over the world to protect different underwater environments and their mandate is to combine a passion for ocean adventure and exploration with marine conservation. I was really excited to discover this organization as it aligns perfectly with my own passion for ocean adventuring and conservation and they have a lot of resources for anyone interest in diving, to use.
Project AWARE twitter page
They have tips for good diving practices, and information on the global shark trade. Their two main focuses are on community and policy and how when those two are working together, real changes can happen. I am looking forward to following this organization further and see what new events and information may come up! Along with EcoWatch, I believe I have found a good basis to begin diving deeper into the global initiatives and issues to shed light on what is possible out there and to allow myself more insight for what I can do as a global citizen in, and outside of the water.
10 tips for divers, Project AWARE, 2018.