We had a great morning on Sunday and got quite a good haul considering it was a first time for us and we only had approximately 0.5-1m vis. There wasn’t as much debris as I would have expected, especially closer into the wharf but we did come across a bottle pyramid quite far off shore which must be the distance a fisherman can throw a bottle from the wharf, and this will be a point of interest for future dives. Especially as it seemed to be a haven for juvenile octopi and sea horses which we did our best to leave in the ocean or return if they did manage to ‘stow away’ on any debris.

Along with bottles we brought up 2 bikes, 2 children’s scooters, a fishing rod, a wallet including cards and a trainer amongst other metal scraps and cans but the strangest item we brought up was a meat grinder which must have been destined for a butchers shop at some time and never quite got there.

There were 14 of us diving, in 9˚c water!, and 4 supporting us on the surface and providing refreshments after the dive with a rolling audience of ferry passengers passing by. The data collected from these surveys and the exposure that we get from doing this sort of activity is vital to monitoring the extent of the problem and improving waste management and peoples habits in regards to waste management. This alone means we endeavour to do more DAD surveys at this site and other sites in our area and with some lessons to take from this survey, we will improve our efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness on future surveys. Plus it’s heaps of fun!

Many thanks again to everyone that dived, supported on the shore and the guys that didn't get to dive this time. Keep in touch for future events.