This weekend we taught a number of scuba courses: Night Diver, Drift Diver, PADI Open Water Diver and PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. What a lot of fun we had!

But aside from all the fun, what do you think all of these courses had in common?

Marine debris.

Sadly, on all of our dives that we conducted in the world famous Saint Lawrence River we spotted marine debris in the form of bottles, plastic, clothes, bikes (and more bikes), tires, you name it.

Why are people still throwing so much of their garbage away in the rivers?

Is it because it's easy?

Is it because they don't know better?

Is it because it costs money to dispose of bigger items properly?

Possibly all of the above. 

What can we do to help change this? Easy. Tell the people around you about the debris you spot while underwater. Remind that just because they can't see it, it doesn't mean it has gone away.

And on your next dive, why not pick up some of the debris you find? Even picking up a few bottles can make a big difference. Even better, when you come up, why not show others what you've collected to help raise awareness that what goes underwater does not go away.

Marine debris: something we can all help put an end to.