Jubilee Jetty - Simons Town harbour
16 December, 2017
- Team Leader
- Sharon Lee Martin
- Number of Participants
- 16
- Total Debris Collected
- 25 kgs (estimated)
-34.192333333333, 18.432916666667
Survey Information
- Location Name
- Jubilee Jetty - Simons Town harbour
- Organization/Dive Centre
- Trail Freedivers (informal dive group)
- City
- Cape Town
- Country
- South Africa
- Date
- 16 December, 2017
- Survey Duration
- 60 Minutes
- GPS Coordinates
- Latitude: -34.192333333333
Longitude: 18.432916666667
- Weather Conditions
-
Debris was collected in protected harbour area.
In the open water there was a strong south easterly wind and medium size swell.
Water temp 17C.
- Survey Depth Range
- 0.2–5 meters
- Area Surveyed
- 6831.13 m2
- Dominant Substrate
- sand
- Ecosystem
- kelp
- Wave Conditions
- Calm (glassy to rippled) for waves 0 – 0.1 meter high
Survey Photos
Debris Items Collected
| plastic materials collected | |
|---|---|
| Bags-grocery/retail (plastic) | 10 |
| Beverage Bottles: Less Than 2 Litres (plastic) | 10 |
| Bottles: Oil/lube | 1 |
| Caps & Lids (plastic) | 5 |
| Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons (plastic) | 5 |
| Fishing: Line | 10 |
| Fishing: Lures, Rods/poles | 8 |
| Food Wrappers (plastic) | 20 |
| Sheeting: Tarpaulin, Plastic Sheets, Palette Wrap | 5 |
| Tampon Applicators | 1 |
| Plastic Fragments | 30 |
| Strapping Bands (plastic) | 1 |
| Rope (plastic/nylon) | 5 |
| glass materials collected | |
|---|---|
| Cups & Plates-tableware/dishes (glass & Ceramic) | 1 |
| Beverage Bottles (glass) | 15 |
| metal materials collected | |
|---|---|
| Appliances: Household | 1 |
| Caps & Lids (metal) | 10 |
| Forks, Knives, Spoons (cutlery) | 1 |
| Pipes & Rebar | 2 |
| Wire, Wire Mesh & Barbed Wire | 5 |
| Wrappers (foil/metal) | 15 |
| Fishing: Sinkers, Lures, Hooks | 15 |
| cloth materials collected | |
|---|---|
| Rope And String (cloth) | 5 |
| Cloth Fragments | 5 |
| mixed materials collected | |
|---|---|
| Clothing | 3 |
| Computer Equipment & Other Electronic Devices | 1 |
| Shoes-flip Flops, Sandals, Tennis, Etc | 1 |
| Tampons | 1 |
| Entangled Animals | |
|---|---|
| Marine Mammals | |
| Species or Common Name | Puffadder Shy Shark (endemic small cat shark) - not mammal |
| Number Entangled | 1 |
| Status | released unharmed |
| Type of Debris | fibreglass sheet |
| Comments | The very young shark had clearly tried to ingest some of the fibreglass and it was lodged in its mouth. The material was removed and the shark set free, however it was very weak, so we do not know if it survived. |
Additional Information
No. general use of local yacht club and jetty activity.
A metal tool about 1.5m long.
gut, hooks and lures (with multiple hooks) - still dangerous to marine life
plastic bags - always an issue for marine life
fibreglass sheeting - as per the notes above about the fibreglass stuck in shark's mouth
Comments and Feedback
Note: As this was our first "dry-wet" run for Dive Against Debris - the weight and items list is estimated. Our next dive will have an accurate record of the marine debris collected. Background to our dive group: I started our freediving group on Whatsapp approx. 2 years ago, so that new and experienced freedivers were able to find buddies to dive with. Over time the group has grown to about 30 members, and we freedive most weekends, and sometimes during the week - conditions dependent. The group also share marine conservation information, attend talks and films, and generally attempt to spread awareness about the oean and the incredible local marine protected areas and unique kelp forests along the Cape Peninsula. Inspiration for the "Dive Against Debris" - Trailfreedivers "Trash Hunt": Some of the group went to a local ocean film festival (arranged by Wavescape), where we saw inspiring films like Plastic Ocean and Blue. I had been planning an end-of-year "treasure hunt" dive for the group - but the films really struck a cord with all of us and I decided we should rather do a "TRASH HUNT". The attendance was more than I expected, and each of the divers (and our shore based friends') dedication to the initiative was truly inspiring. Yes we were saddened by the marine debris we saw, and removed, but we were also inspired to want to do more.. and I will be arranging another dive in January 2018. I chose a location (a municipal jetty near a yacht club, alongside the navy harbour) because I expected a great deal of trash there, and we did find a lot.. but we were also pleasantly suprised at how beautiful it was under and around the jetty. We encountered a lot of marine life- from shy sharks (endemic cat sharks), crabs, different fish species, octopus, fan worms and nudibranchs etc. We feel that the conservation message has been well received both via sharing images on social media and even with onlookers on the day; where we, and our friends and family on the shore, explained to the public what we were doing. Through this event, and sharing the images and stories, we know that we have raised awareness around the dire issues caused by marine pollution. All in attendance are looking forward to the next Dive Against Debris, and I do think we will have more divers next time!
Photo credits:- Group: Johan Pool || Underwater: Collen Burrows & Lisa Beasley || Topside debris: Sharon Martin
