Huge thank you to all of the volunteers who got involved in our latest Dive Against Debris event.

On Wednesday the 6th of January eleven volunteers participated in a beach clean-up. We targeted Sairee beach and worked together to collect various types of debris from the coastline. Beach clean-ups provide an immediate benefit making the area more aesthetically pleasing, in addition, removing the litter and disposing of it properly prevents litter items from entering the ocean and the active participation or observation of beach cleaning inspires others to take part. Grass-roots projects such as these are crucial to solving the global issue of marine debris.

In the afternoon ten volunteers donned scuba gear and armed with mesh bags descended beneath the waves to search and recover litter items. The team of Divemasters, Divemaster candidates and instructors devoted their afternoon to Dive Against Debris! Here at Ban's Ecological Action for Coastal Health (B.EA.C.H.), we are blessed by the number of Divemaster candidates, Divemasters and instructors that are so passionate about the environment and enthusiastic to get involved and take action.

Cumulatively from the beach clean-up and the dive against debris we collected close to 100kg of rubbish, we separate and sort the litter into categories so it can be recycled and disposed of properly. By identifying debris items we are also able to target the sources of debris and work together to find solutions to reduce or replace the offending item.

Our beach clean up was dominated with cigarette butts, both clean-ups found a lot of single use plastics including straws, plastic cups and food packaging. It is always incredible to work together with so many people who are so passionate about conserving the marine environment and make a positive difference at the ground level. The immediate benefit of diving against debris is very encouraging for the volunteers, each and every one of them made this event special and I know that they will all go on to spread the message and continue being active volunteers against the issue of marine debris.

If you would like to get involved in Dive Against Debris or any other eco events like the B.E.A.C.H. page (www.facebook.com/beachatbans) and come and join the team.

Educate → Protect → Conserve

Thank you to Dave Daegle of the Film Company and Jeerapong for taking photos.