Dive Against Debris with Sea Experience

Overview

On Sunday, June 9, 2024, The International SeaKeepers Society collaborated with Sea Experience for our June Dive Against Debris underwater cleanup. We were joined by 8 divers who descended with mesh bags to collect any trash they found at the dive sites and bring it to the surface to dispose of properly. We used our first tank at Hog Heaven, the wreck of a 180-foot barge about 60-70 feet deep, intentionally sunk in 1986 as part of the Florida Artificial Reef Program. We always find a lot of cargo shipping straps at this site, and we also found some aluminum cans, glass bottles, a mylar balloon, and even a coconut! After emptying our bags onboard, we descended to use our second tank at The Caves, a shallower reef site ranging in depth from 20-30 feet, named for its small caves. At this site, we found several pieces of fishing line with weights or hooks attached, which we carefully untangled from the reef. During our dives, we were lucky enough to see a diverse array of life such as a few Scrawled Filefish, some Spiny Lobsters, and even a huge Loggerhead Turtle. It is always a privilege to be able to dive at these amazing sites, and we are proud to leave them a little bit cleaner when we do. Together, our volunteer divers collected 18 pounds of trash, a record for our 2024 Dives Against Debris. We are so grateful to our volunteer divers and Sea Experience, and we look forward to our next dive cleanup!