On Saturday, September
15, 2007, a group of over 30 divers, snorkelers, and shore
support gathered together to assist with an underwater/shoreline
cleanup of a portion of Bonaire’s waterfront promenade.
This cleanup was held in conjunction with World Cleanup Day,
and also was the kick-off event for the island’s Love
Our Planet week.
After a comprehensive briefing by Jake Richter of NetTech,
the divers entered the water in front of the Dive Friends @ Yellow Submarine facility to bring up any new trash. If the
trash had already become colonized by corals, hydroids, or
other organisms, the cleaners were expected to leave the
trash in place. Only new trash without any sort of marine
encrustation or animal inhabitation was to be fully checked,
and only then brought to the surface.
At the shoreline, the trash was sorted, checked once again
to be sure no marine creatures had been inadvertently included,
and then counted, before disposed of responsibly. Although
it has been only two months since a cleanup at this location,
the volunteers did bring up quite a bit of trash made up
of all sorts of paper and plastic food and beverage containers
and utensils, glass bottles, caps and lids, clothing, shoes,
light bulbs, fishing line, rope, strapping bands, and even
a fuel filter! Car parts, two tires, and building materials
were also retrieved.
After the dive, all participants and their families were
welcomed back for a Pot Luck BBQ—Dive Friends Bonaire
and NetTech, the sponsors of the quarterly Bonaire cleanups,
provided drinks and main courses, while participants supplied
side dishes.
At the shoreline, the trash was sorted, checked once again
to be sure no marine creatures had been inadvertently included,
and then counted, before disposed of responsibly. Although
it has been only two months since a cleanup at this location,
the volunteers did bring up quite a bit of trash made up
of all sorts of paper and plastic food and beverage containers
and utensils, glass bottles, caps and lids, clothing, shoes,
light bulbs, fishing line, rope, strapping bands, and even
a fuel filter! Car parts, two tires, and building materials
were also retrieved.