We had a great dive cleanup at Ballast Point Park and Pier.  This is one of the sites that has been adopted by Tampa Bay Green Consortium and semi-annual dive cleanups are conducted here to collect data and develop a trend analysis on marine debris.

At this event, we had volunteers from Eckard College’s Search and Rescue Team students (and other Eckerd volunteers), Stetson University, University of South Tampa, University of South Florida, Tampa Young Men’s Service League, RICOH, and other local volunteers.

This event was in Support of Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful’s citywide cleanup to support International Coastal Cleanup Day.  Although our site was only one of 70 sites throughout the county doing cleanups, we were the only site conducted a dive cleanup.  There were concerns that this would be cancelled, as we had thunderstorms all through the night and early morning hours.  But as the event time approached, the skies cleared up. 

The event had 74 volunteers total and included 32 divers, 5 kayakers, 11 data collectors, and 26 mangrove shoreline cleanup volunteers.  We collected 220lbs of recyclable debris and 420lbs of non-recyclable debris for a total of 640lbs.  The group did a great job collecting and counting all the debris. 

The divers had spread out in groups to cleanup not only the pier, but also the waters along the mangrove coastline.  A sample of the collected items found in the waters and mangrove shoreline included 180 plastic bags; 138 plastic bottles; 126 plastic straws and stirrers; almost 100 yards of fishing line and hooks; 743 cigarette filters, and over 500 various pieces of plastic.   Also found were a cell phone, iPod, motorcycle drivers permit, fish tank pump, and military rations kits.

During the course of the event, two of our dive volunteers found a dead green sea turtle.  The turtle had not been dead long.  My wife, Christine, a volunteer with the Florida Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center and registered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to handle sea turtles estimated the turtle’s age at 3 years old.  We have no idea what the cause was and we are waiting for the necropsy to be conducted. But it could have been any number of causes.  It could have been entangled in fishing line/net that we often find in the waters all around the pier, which could have caused it to drown. Or it might have swallowed a balloon or plastic, thinking it was a jellyfish, as we found dozens of balloons in the water that come from the birthday parties held at the park each weekend.  Or it could have just caught a cold and got sick.

Everyone did a fantastic job.  Special thanks to the numerous dive centers in the Tampa Bay area, to include World of Water, Scuba Quest and Adventure Outfitters for assisting these efforts by donating free dive gear and air tanks to volunteer divers.  In addition, special thanks to the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) for providing lunch to all the volunteers.

Here is a link to an article on this event: http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/volunteers-clean-up-debris-along-coast/2198669