“Honey, what do you think about buying a dive shop?” So many of us dream about quitting our day jobs to pursue our passions, but few actually take the leap.

When Jill Smith’s husband, a long-time diver and ocean-lover had the opportunity to purchase an existing dive shop, Jill encouraged him to jump at the chance. She knew how much he loved being underwater, and his business-savvy would be a great asset as he navigated his newly chosen career path. Jill thought it would be the perfect job opportunity – for him. Yet, as often happens, the wonderful world of diving soon won her over too.

Fast forward two years, and Jill has found herself with a second career running their dive shop, Adventure Sports Newmarket, alongside her husband in Ontario, Canada. With a background in forensic imaging, Jill’s extensive knowledge of cameras and digital editing frequently comes in handy. She manages the dive shop website and promotions, and experiments with underwater photography. She’s fallen in love with the business, her dive clients, and most of all, the ocean.

With the dive shop’s second anniversary nearing, Jill wanted to do something to give back to the marine environment that had given so much to her and her husband. She contacted Project AWARE and set out to host an event and conduct a Dive Against Debris survey.

The event took place at Bonnie Boat’s Marina in Jackson’s Point, Ontario, Canada on a Saturday morning. Adventure Sports Newmarket divers, their families and a variety of other guests showed up for the festivities – there were over 50 people in attendance! With mesh bags in hand, they set out to clean the ocean floor. Many, if not most, of the divers were participating in Dive Against Debris for the first time. Surfacing with their debris collection, group members were truly proud to have participated in a survey to help give back to the marine environment. They knew that through debris removal and data reporting, they had made a positive impact on ocean health. Local newspapers came out to take photos and report on the event, helping raise awareness of the litter issue and health conditions of nearby waterways.

Jill was thrilled with the opportunity for press coverage of her event to impact local perspectives of marine health, “Our event certainly raised awareness about the need to keep our lakes, rivers and oceans free of debris. We hope that folks will think twice before they toss their trash on the street or in the water.” With the success of her first Project AWARE event, Jill has become inspired to advocate against marine debris. She plans to host an annual Adventure Sports Newmarket dive shop event and conduct regular Dive Against Debris surveys.

Take action against the Ugly Journey of Our Trash. Join Jill and become a Debris Activist today.