By 2025, as much as 250 million metric tons of plastic could make its way into the ocean, damaging critical habitats and endangering marine life. But, our trash does not belong underwater. That’s why Project AWARE divers around the world are taking a stand, fighting back against marine debris, and working together to develop solutions. By removing and reporting underwater trash through Dive Against Debris, volunteer divers help identify areas where waste prevention efforts are most urgently needed, and contribute the underwater perspective to a problem that remains out of sight for the majority of the public.

With the support of a global network of dive volunteers, year-round Dive Against Debris surveys are providing more frequent and comprehensive reports of underwater trash. Slowly, our efforts are improving ocean health around the world.

None of this is possible without help from you – our supporters, volunteers and the dive community. In honor of all of your contributions, we’d like to shine a light on some of our most outstanding leaders, that is, our Dive Against Debris Heroes!

This July, we’re honoring Nic Emery as our Dive Against Debris Hero.

Nic Emery first started diving when she was 19. While on holiday in Egypt, she took an open water diving course. From the moment she put her head underwater, she knew she would someday become a dive instructor. Now over a decade later, Nic is not only a dive instructor, she is a branch manager at B&J Diving in Tiomen, a Project AWARE environmental activist and Dive Against Debris leader in her community.

Throughout her diving career, Nic’s awareness of the need for conservation efforts have been steadily growing. After four years in her latest residence, Tiomen Island, she’s become determined to protect her beloved special place. Nic had already been organizing frequent underwater cleanups with B&J Diving when she learned about Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris program. “It seemed a bit daft,” she said, “to be doing all this hard work and not reporting our findings anywhere!” She immediately began reporting debris recovered in underwater cleanups through Dive Against Debris surveys and Project AWARE’s online reporting.

Now, every dive that Nic and B&J Divers conduct is a Dive Against Debris. And, rarely does a dive go by without someone picking up a piece of fishing line, plastic bottles or another piece of trash. To add to her experience, Nic also become trained as a Dive Against Debris specialty course instructor. With this certification, she provides an additional level of training to equip students with the knowledge and skills to conduct surveys and report data on dives of their own.

Nic says of her experience with Dive Against Debris, “There’s nothing more satisfying than freeing a reef of 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of fishing net and watching coral recover, not to mention the smiles on the faces of the divers when they know they’ve done an amazing job.”

We need divers everywhere to put their scuba skills to use in Dive Against Debris, and Nic Emery is leading the charge. By ensuring that divers in her community conduct regular and comprehensive Dive Against Debris surveys of the types and quantities of marine debris found underwater, Nic is helping grow Project AWARE’s global database to influence real change.

Thank you, Nic Emery and the B&J Diving team, for all that you do to fight marine debris! Become a #DebrisActivist like Nic and Dive Against Debris today.