Scuba instructor Virginie (Giny) Pinto, like so many other dive leaders, loves introducing her students to the thrill of scuba. Nothing makes her happier than sharing the awe and wonder of the undersea experience with new divers – seeing their joy upon taking a first underwater breath, leading them in exploring a healthy and colorful reef or a chance encounter with marine life. Throughout her teaching experience, she’s been consistently conscious of the need to protect ocean environments in order to preserve the scuba experience, but when asked what drove her to become a conservation advocate, she recounts one particular, life-changing scuba diving experience:

Giny was guiding a group of four dive students on a routine scuba excursion when she was struck with excitement – she spotted a gigantic school of fish ahead of her in the distance! Signalling to her group to follow, they began swimming in the direction of the fish with eager anticipation to identify which species lie ahead. As they inched closer, their hearts sank. The species they had spotted wasn’t a school of fish at all – instead, they had encountered a swirling cluster of plastic bags.

Giny was struck with despair: if she and her dive guests could misidentify the “school” of plastic bags as fish, what other marine animals might accidentally do the same, mistaking the marine debris for food or prey? Her fear, unfortunately, rings true: countless ocean animals are affected by marine debris every year. In fact, all seven species of sea turtle, over half of marine mammal species and almost two thirds of seabird species have either ingested or become entangled in marine debris.

From that moment on, Giny determined to take action against marine debris as aggressively as she could. At Oceans 5 Dive Center in the Gili Islands, Indonesia, Giny has organized consistent weekly beach clean ups and Dive Against Debris surveys for the past 4 years. She has personally been involved in over 50 Dive Against Debris surveys so far, and plans to engage in many more in the coming year. She explains that her favorite aspect of Dive Agianst Debris is not only the direct impact of removing debris underwater, but the added element of submitting survey results to Project AWARE to help make a positive, big-picture impact on the global marine debris issue:

“It’s a great incentive to know that Dive Against Debris data is not only collected, but also recorded to be used to advocate for long-term, lasting change,” says Giny.

Diving around Indonesia’s Gili Islands for the past ten years, Giny has witnessed the devastating impacts of pollution on the ocean environment. But in that time, she’s also had the opportunity to see how small efforts against marine debris, through Dive Against Debris and related conservation actions, can add up to big change. She believes in the power of underwater marine debris collection and data reporting to make a positive, lasting impact on the environment – preserving the scuba experience for future generations of divers.

Project AWARE thanks Giny for her commitment to Dive Against Debris over the past few years and for her pledge to continue her efforts in 2016 and beyond. Join Giny and Dive Against Debris today.