On the 22nd and 23rd of November, we did 2 dives at Pulau Hantu, to check the stretch of reef for its suitability for further Dive Against Debris actions in 2016.

The first dive was conducted in a southwards direction along the reef whilst the second was in a northwards direction to cover the majority of the extent of the reef.

Initially we were quite pleased that there was not an extensive amount of rubbish on the site, but on closer inspection we realized that there was quite a lot of trash all covered under a layer of silt that masked everything.

I was carrying the mesh bag and moving a couple of meters behind the group in the middle of a V formation to allow the divers to find the trash and return it to the mesh bag. Some of the trash was obviously dumped overboard from a boat, but what was disturbing was that we found bottles that had been obviously wedged into the reef. We found a few large reams of corrugated cardboard but were lacking the equipment to surface them so we left them for a later Dive Against Debris.

On the return leg of the dive, we ran into a bit of current which stirred up the sit and reduced the visibilty to practically zero, seperated and unable to find one another, we ascended and ended the dive. Now normally I wouldnn't be caught dead wandering the streets picking up rubbish, but these dives had been strangely theraputic, and left me filled with a sense of satisfaction and knowledge that I was making a difference.

Taking inventory of the rubbish we found, I guess no one would be too surprised. It was the usual assortment of bottles and cans, some which had obviously been left underwater for years. On the second dive we had picked up a toolbox laden with nuts and bolts that had rusted, upon opening it on the surface, it started eminating a ghastly rotting smell that had half the boat retching, which was probably due to the worms and some partially decomposed marine life in the box.

In all, I guess I was pleasantly surprised that the sites were not rubbish-strewn, but (to badly paraphrase a tv advert) low trash doesn't mean no trash, and I'd dare say we'd be back with a much bigger group to ensure we clean up the reef completely.