Over the years, we’ve been astounded by the commitment and dedication of our dive volunteers in the fight against ocean trash. Since launching Dive Against Debris in 2011, over 600,000 pieces of marine debris have been removed and reported by more than 25,000 divers around the world. Each quarter, we’re proud to honor our most outstanding dive volunteers – those who have demonstrated leadership in local communities, and who remain steadfast in their commitment to Dive Against Debris.

This year, we launched the Adopt a Dive Site initiative to supercharge our Dive Against Debris efforts. By encouraging dive instructors and dive centers to engage in ongoing local protection and monitoring of their dive sites, we’ve getting closer to closing the marine debris data gap. More than 185 dive sites have been adopted so far, with over 1500 participants from more than 50 different countries across the globe removing and reporting close to 45,000 pieces of marine debris. With so many dedicated divers engaging in monthly Dive Against Debris surveys and taking action to eliminate waste within their dive centers and daily lives, it’s hard to choose just one Dive Against Debris Hero… You’re all heroes!

With that in mind, this month we’d like to honor a group of Dive Against Debris Heroes whose passion and collaboration are igniting a wave of ocean stewardship in their local community: the staff at Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Florida Keys, US.

With the world’s third-largest barrier reef system just outside their doorstep, the staff at Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Florida Keys have an innate enthusiasm for ecosystem preservation and wildlife conservation. As the region’s largest and busiest dive center, they take pride in sharing Florida’s natural wonders with their guests and they work hard to provide easy and engaging access to practical marine conservation to the local public. So, when Project AWARE launched Adopt a Dive Site, the staff at Rainbow Reef committed to adopting not one, two or three… but 23 local dive sites! With twice daily trips to the local reef, an incredibly precise, organized dive schedule, and a large group of passionate staff, they have been able to organize consistent surveys in multiple locations throughout 2016. Each staff member chose an area that appeals to his or her interests, and then led the charge to protect that area with the help of other staff, dive guests and local volunteers. Together, Rainbow Reef have removed more than 1000 pounds of trash from their dive sites since May 2016.

Leading this incredible effort is dive instructor, Jack Fishman. And since he’ll credit his wonderful team members and friends at Rainbow Reef for all that the dive center has accomplished through Adopt a Dive Site, we’d like to take a moment to provide a special shout out to him here. Thank you, Jack, for your outstanding Dive Against Debris leadership in the Florida Keys and across the globe! Through your ocean stewardship and conservation outreach, you’re a powerful force for ocean protection. Project AWARE is so proud to have you helping us lead the movement to protect our big blue planet.

Learn more about Dive Against Debris and Adopt a Dive Site or read the full interview on Rainbow Reef’s local efforts by visiting Jack Fishman’s My Ocean page.