On the 22nd of April, Earth day, many dive shops around the world pulled together to organise events to help clean the ocean and beaches of human related debris. Isla Mujeres also participated in this event.

Dive schools around the island either banded together to do one large site or concentrated upon their area where confined water skills were performed. We are fortunate that our reefs are protected and remain almost completely debris free but we are also a fishing island and this tends to result in the accumulation a large amount of rubbish close to the island and under the docks.

Our school Pocna Dive Center, had around 28 participants to clean under the docks and around Mininos and within 45 minutes had collected 111kg of rubbish. All rubbish was weighed after removing all sand and checking that no marine life had inadvertently been collected with the bottles and cans and that a true weight had been registered.

For an area of 100mt by 70mt, this was a lot of rubbish. The other dive centers under the docks beside us collected a total of 350kg in 1 1/2 hours with the prize being an old shopping trolley and a depressing amount of tires.

Then the afternoon was spent on a beach clean up in front of Isla 33 where an extra 139kg was collected from that one small beach in a time of just 2 hours.

The biggest problem on this island is the rubbish that is thrown in by the fisherman and the main concern is how do you change this behaviour, how do you change their attitude? It is not an easy challenge and not a confrontational one. We feel that this is one that can only be tackled by demonstration and example. By continually cleaning these areas and hopefully over time, create a shame of throwing beer and liquor bottles and tin cans in the water and a pride in having a debris free and beautiful area around our docks.

The response from the guests here at the dive center and hostel was overwhelming and has made us aware that this is something that can and will be repeated on a regular basis. People were happy to give back the the island that gives us so much beauty and pleasure and give a little time of their travels back to the planet. The rubbish collected gave us all an incredible sense of satisfaction but also an awakening as to how much rubbish we have left in the waters that left us sad too. A message that all who participated will carry.

So, a huge thank you to all who participated, be it on beach or in the water. Well done for all the dive schools that organised their cleanups and thank you to Ricky at Pita Amores, Chris from Mundaca and Lucas from Pocna Hostel for donating the thirst quenchers and BBQ that were so greatly appreciated by the participants at the end of the long hot day. See you all at the next one.