Saturday, July 10, 2005

A group of 11 persons met at Bonaire Yellow Submarine to help clean up the world. The group consisted of three non-divers, who assisted on shore, and eight divers comprised of Yellow Submarine crew, visiting tourists, and local Bonairean residents. The group received an in-depth dive briefing which included topics such as body position while in the water, the type of trash to retrieve, how to deal with bulky and/or heavy trash, and how to be sure that any marine creatures were protected. Logistics as to making the dive were also included.

The group then went to the clean up area—a portion of the shallow shelf in the “Anchorage”, where visiting yachts moor in Kralendijk’s harbor. While the eight divers prepared to descend, the shore crew was busy making provisions to receive the trash.
Within 30 minutes or so, the first bags of trash were brought to the surface using lifts bags and removed from the ocean. They were immediately emptied, and all trash was inspected to be sure no marine creatures had been inadvertently included. After this, all trash was sorted and counted.

During this cleanup, the following trash was collected and removed for proper disposal: 33 bottles, 31 pieces of fishing line, 2 fishing nets, 70 pieces of rope, 6 pieces of foam plastic, 52 pieces of other types of plastic, 24 pieces of glass, 11 pieces of rubber, 52 pieces of metal, 21 pieces of paper, 5 pieces of wood, and 42 pieces of cloth.

When compared to prior cleanups of the same area, it can be easily seen that the amount of trash being collected and removed is becoming less and less, a clear indication that efforts to educate locals and tourists alike about keeping Bonaire clean are successful. This Cleanup was closed with a BBQ Dinner at Bonaire Yellow Submarine available for all participants.