Dive Against Debris. Project Aware 2016.

Indonesia is the second biggest contributor of marine pollution! 9.2 million Tons of debris in the world comes from Indonesia, which equals  to 36 units of Boeing A3-80, 

People care what they know, people conserve what they love. After knowing about the ocean that has been suffering from debris since many times, I ask myself, what I can do to conserve the ocean? Should I encourage people to fight against polluting the ocean? Oh, so old-school but should be successfully only if I have much spare time while doing my dive master program. Or become so idealist? Many people start or support campaigns about the trash, about debris in the ocean. Nevertheless, the world cannot be changed only by thinking, you need to take action!

AquaMarine dive staff for Project AWARE 2016.

Along with eight other dive guides, we went to Jetty, for underwater clean up.  AquaMarine Diving, as a 5 star dive center, supports Project AWARE since the beginning of the program. To quote the tagline of Project AWARE, " Protecting Our Ocean Planet – One Dive at A time", AquaMarine decided to do an underwater clean up at the dive site "Jetty". The theme of this year is, Dive Against Debris.

Project AWARE is an initiates program by PADI (Professional Association Dive Instructor). This program is based on partnership and supported by many local and global communities around the world. Project AWARE raise the awareness of communities to run the program to protects the ocean.

I've been diving at Jetty for many times since I started my dive master program in Bali. Cold water temperature, limited visibility, yet rich of stunning creatures of marine life such as flying gunard, mototi octopus, blue-ring, giant frogfish, and so on. However, Jetty has the dirtiest bottom from all the dive sites if have been to. Knowing as a muck dive site, Jetty was an abandoned pier for docking large board, side by side with Pertamina (Indonesia fuel supply company). While diving at Jetty, divers have to be careful of fisherman's fishing net, fisher's fishing lines wrap from the surface, as it is also a popular for fishing. Full of marine debris. 

Underwater clean up, Dive Against Debris, Project AWARE 2016. Clock wise, buddy system for removing debris, diver remove fishing line that tangled on pillar, there are rope tangled with cloth material that buried on deep sand, and diver with her Project AWARE mesh bag.

Marine debris is any manufactured or processes solid material that regardless of size, finds its way into the marine and coastal environment. These include materials discarded into the sea or on beaches ; brought directly to the sea by rivers, sewage, storm or water, or winds. Accidentally lost or deliberately discarded at sea or deliberately left by people on beaches or Shores.(source by Project AWARE) 

What type of waste do we face in Jetty?

Many. Tangled fishing lines on pillar, sometimes it even tangles between the pillars. An example of rubbish on the bottom of this dive site are sand buried fishing nets. All the rubbish at the dive are actually things we use daily, so I assume the household garbage goes into the sea. On the other hand, it could also be the trash from cities near the ocean, who drop all their garbage in the ocean. 

What is actually debris can do HARM to our ocean? 

Unnatural death of giant moray eel.

The picture above is proving that marine debris kills many thousands of marine life every year. Unnatural death of giant Moray Eel because of tangled on fishing line. 

There are many way our trash do to harmful marine life ;

• Marine animals eat marine debris - choking - cannot be digested - starvation death.
• Marine animals caught in marine debris - fishing net starvation - unnatural death.

How the activity going? 

Surface activity, record and identifying debris, and send the debris to waste collection.

Dive Against Debris is a survey of underwater marine debris. Not only surveying, AquaMarine Diving team also removing the debris, and identifying debris material onto the data card. Then reporting to project AWARE via website. Each divers provided one cutter, one mesh bag, paired with another diver as buddy, one and another is responsible to remove the trash responsibly. It is allowed not to remove the object if it's not possible to do. If the debris is around the coral, or eggs attached on it. After collected the debris at the surface, we sort it into several categories. Record into Marine Debris Data Card. And weigh all the debris collection. We got about 30 kilograms debris! We put the debris into different trash bag for different material categories. And finally all the debris goes to local waste collection. AquaMarine trash goes to Ecobali. The waste collection company which collect and differ the trash based on the material. 

The underwater realm is invisible to the public. We - a scuba diver, as a terrestrial creatures is an underwater ambassador. Scuba diver are ocean's guardian, defender for ocean threatened. Underwater needs your help. 

I’d love to hear more people do a little action to save the ocean. Shout it out!

Cheers & Fins up.
Anak Ayam Berjalan.

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@sobatkolong warrior | OPEN WATER-ISO |Meter Diatas Permukaan Laut | MOCCAREO | DREAMER.