News
Record-Breaking Ocean Clean-up
Divers unite to highlight the urgent need to stop the Ugly Journey of Trash and set a new Guinness World Record
Ocean pollution and the amount of plastic in the sea is an ever-growing talking point but unfortunately, it’s also an issue that continues to be too often ignored. In a bid to change the “out of sight, out of mind” attitude, Dixie Divers, a PADI® dive centre committed to making a difference, has found an inspiring way to highlight the urgent need to turn the tide on the plague of plastic in our ocean with a Guinness World Record.
Supported by Project AWARE® and PADI®, the 2019 edition of the annual Save Deerfield Beach Event, organized by Dixie Divers in Florida on June 15, aimed to show that conservation brings more people together now than ever before. Hundreds of divers signed up to the event and came together to put their scuba diving skills to good use.
Guinness World Record adjudicator, Michael Empric, who conducted the official scuba diver headcount, announced that 633 dive clean-up volunteers had taken part in the event.
“One by one by one… A world record is broken. 633 divers. 3200lbs of fishing gear. Over 9,000 pieces of marine debris reported to Project AWARE. To say today’s collaboration of The World Record Clean-up Event hosted by Dixie Divers was a success is an understatement” commented Jack Fishman, Project AWARE Conservation Officer.
The day ended with a huge crowd of beachgoers and dive enthusiasts greeting with cheers announcement that the Guinness World Record for the biggest ocean clean-up had been broken.
The record for the most divers taking part in an underwater clean-up was held by Ahmed Gabr, a former Egyptian Army scuba diver. He brought a team of 615 divers to the Red Sea in Egypt in 2015.
The majority of the debris removed by participating dive volunteers, as part of the Save Deerfield Beach Event, was recorded and reported to Project AWARE’s flagship citizen science program – Dive Against Debris®. The program aims to empower scuba divers to remove marine debris from the seafloor and report data on the types, quantities, and locations of materials collected. To date, over 50,000 divers from 114 countries have taken part in this citizen science program in an effort both to clean up the ocean and build evidence of the global marine litter crisis.
The marine debris data collected by the volunteer divers who took part in the Dive Against Debris® survey dives at the Deerfield Beach Pier will now go through thorough quality review before the results are added to the global Dive Against Debris map.
“What an amazing day for conservation and an amazing day for the dive community” added Jack Fishman. “We are overwhelmed by the success of Dixie Divers’ event but we want to emphasize that you don’t need to take part in an event to make a difference. We all have the power to create positive change for the ocean each day and every time we dive”.
For more information about getting involved, check out Latest Campaigns. Join ocean adventurers worldwide. Make Every Dive a Survey Dive and say No to single-use plastic to help stop the Ugly Journey of Trash at the source.
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
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Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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