In this week’s Community Spotlight, Project AWARE catches up with Deanna Taylor, a scuba diver in Arizona, United States.

Tell us about your passion for ocean conservation.

My love for the ocean started back in my sophomore year of high school when I got scuba certified. Having visited the ocean before, and now, being able to see beneath the waves, I truly loved its beauty. But, I didn't have a true understanding of how much help our oceans really needed until I had an amazing environmental science teacher explain to me the severity of the issues our oceans are experiencing. I knew at that moment that I would dedicate my education and my career to helping solve these problems. I owe a special thank you to this teacher and scientist Allen Chezick for opening my eyes and sparking this devotion I have.

Why and when did you get involved with Project AWARE?

I first got involved with Project AWARE during my scuba certification, I had researched Project AWARE and created a My Ocean account, but never really did anything with it until last August. I was frustrated with the trash problem at my local lake and having seen all the Dive Against Debris® clean ups and marine debris surveys Project AWARE had promoted, I went to their website to get some more information about how I could start taking action. When I learned about the Adopt a Dive Site™ program, I felt so motivated to make a change that decided I to do monthly surveys and cleanups at Lake Pleasant, Arizona in an effort to reduce the amount of trash intake we have and to use Project AWARE’s educational tools to show people what they can do to prevent marine debris before it becomes a problem.

What are some issues that are affecting your local dive site or favorite underwater areas?

Because Lake Pleasant has so many campers, we find an enormous amount of camping trash in the lake. Everything from plastic bags to styrofoam cups, to camping gear and clothing left behind. This does not create a very healthy environment for marine life living there or for other ecosystems around the lake.

What Project AWARE programs have you participated in? Tell us about your work.

I am currently participating in the Adopt a Dive Site program at Lake Pleasant, Arizona. We have been going out to the lake for 5 months now and with the help of many divers, we have cleaned up 509 pounds of trash. We are so proud of the outcome we have had! This particular dive site is very special because it’s where most of the dive shops out here certify open water students. When this is your first open water experience, it should be so special and captivating that you can't even find the words to describe your happiness even if it's a lake and not the ocean. I never want someone's first experience in open water to be described as “dirty” or “full of trash.” This motivates all the divers out here to work together in efforts of cleaning up and surveying this area.

What has been the highlight of your Project AWARE experience?

The highlight of my Project AWARE experience happened back in December when after our clean up, before I had even surveyed anything, I was able to see the results of all of our hard work. Our dive site had shown significant changes in how much trash was there. We had to really search for the trash… It wasn’t just littered everywhere. When we started this project in September 2016, I was so overwhelmed with the amount of trash there was, I thought it would take years to get the trash under control as it is now.

What is the most important thing you tell others about Project AWARE?

When people ask me what Project AWARE is about, most assume it’s all about going to these clean up events and saving the sharks and rays. But I think Project AWARE stands for something so much more important than just participating and donating to these causes. It’s about educating people on the problems out there and getting people so motivated to make a change that they get out there and do it themselves. Everyone can make a change if they are motivated enough. One quote that comes to mind when I tell people about what Project AWARE truly stands for was said by oceanographer Sylvia Earle: “Many of us ask what can I, as one person do, but history has shown us that everything good or bad starts because somebody does something or does not do something.”  This quote speaks louder words than I could ever say, Project AWARE stands for protection of the ocean and marine habitats, all it takes is the motivation of the people who stand behind Project AWARE to truly make a change.