Dive Against Debris SCUBA Cleanup with SeaExperience

Overview

On March 18th, 2023, The International SeaKeepers Society partnered again with SeaExperience to Dive Against Debris at the Hog Heaven wreck and The Caves in Fort Lauderdale. SeaExperience is a dive shop located in Fort Lauderdale that is awarded the PADI Green Star to commemorate its efforts and dedication to conservation. This showcases them as a dive shop that cares about our coastal environment and is active to takes steps to protect it. SeaExperience’s vessel took 5 volunteers out to the sites for a 2-tank dive to collect as much trash as possible while appreciating the teeming wildlife off of Fort Lauderdale’s coast. The first stop was Hog Heaven, which includes the wreck of a 180-foot barge about 60-70 feet deep, intentionally sunk in 1986 as part of the Florida Artificial Reef Program. The second stop was The Caves, a shallower reef site ranging in depth from 20-30 feet, named for its small caves. In total, we collected 9.8 lbs of trash, an impressive number considering the amount of cargo straps found, as an average cargo strap only weighs about 2 grams per foot. While diving we spotted a Goliath Grouper, a few Moray eels, a Lionfish, and one Sea Goddess Nudibranch! We had a great time exploring and spotting some beautiful animals while collecting debris to maintain the health of these sites. We are so grateful to our partner SeaExperience for making this cleanup happen and allowing our volunteers to partake in protecting the creatures inhabiting our coasts by keeping their homes trash-free! We look forward to collaborating with SeaExperience again in the future.