A group of divers, companies and organizations from across the world attempt to break a world record in Ocean cleanup.
The worlds water resources are being threatened every day and unless something is done, the damage could become irreversible. The waters around Deerbeach, Florida, USA are a prime example of water pollution going horribly wrong. The pollution has gotten so bad, at one point the area around the beach was off-limits to divers.
In order to help remedy that situation and make it safe for divers once again, an event was organized that was billed as the “Attempt to set a Guinness Book of World Records for Underwater Cleanup”. It would involve a large number of divers from all over the world coming together for an amazing cause.
Ocean Cleanup Event Sponsors
As you could imagine, any event of this magnitude and scope will cost a whole lot of money to put on. So, in order to be sure that the proper amount of funds are available, several great organizations with very deep pockets came together. The organizations that decided that this was a great opportunity to help the diving community and the people who live in and use the beach in and around Deerbeach, Florida include;PADI®, Project AWARE®, and several local dive centers.
Who is expected to attend the event ?
In hopes to break the current record for the largest number of divers to participate in an underwater cleanup, organizers have invited divers from all over. If the number of divers that are expected to attend and be part of this record-setting undertaking, they will not only break it but shatter it into a million little pieces.
There will dozens and dozens of teams of divers from local dive clubs, dive groups both national and international. They have invited universities and diver centers from the area and all over the world. There will also be representatives from the dive industry ready to lend a hand to this amazing cause.
The two-fold goal of the event
With more than 700 divers being expected to participate in this years event, they should easily shatter the current record of 614 divers in an event Egypt. While records are all fine and dandy, but the real reason for the event is to help rid the area of life-choking debris. Previous events in the Deerbeach, Florida, area netted amazing amount of debris in the waters.
Project AWARE: What was the global AWARE week and how to get involved
The following is a breakdown of the amount of debris that was removed in the previous event
- A one-half ton of lead weights
- 52-pounds of sunken wood
- 161-pounds of strong fishing line
- 104-pounds of assorted metals
- 103-pounds of assorted non-metal debris
- And 219 accumulated miles of fishing caught on the pier pilings
The event is open to both divers and non-divers. It’s free to the public. However, Certified divers can register to be part of the dive for a $30 fee. There is a need for non-diving volunteers that want to help outside of the water.
