As we prepare to kick-off Debris Month of Action underwater on September 1, we're inspired by this incredible beach cleanup project that’s become a striking piece of marine debris art thanks to Camps International in Africa.

Australia has the world's third largest marine territory and a rich diversity of marine habitats from the tropical coral reefs of the north, through temperate sponge gardens and vast seagrass beds to the chilly southern waters of the Great Australian Bight. 

Diving on the east coast of Australia is incredible; warm tropical seas or cool temperate waters, both support an amazing array of marine life. Great schools of fish swarm in the dappled sunlight with perhaps a passing turtle or ray in the background. But at a handful of dive sites you see none of this; your eyes are firmly fixed on the circling grey nurse sharks. 

We're kicking off our new year-round Dive Against Debris program with a Debris Month of Action!
Throughout the month of September, Project AWARE divers around the world will mobilize to collect trash and log what they find here on the Project AWARE website. This data will go on to inform researchers of the debris issues facing the ocean. With a more accurate picture of what's happening in our ocean, we can begin to make better decisions around waste management and the policies that affect ocean life.

On August 15th 2011, Project AWARE Foundation and Shark Advocates International sent a letter to the United States Fish And Wildlife Service as part of a public comment process regarding potential U.S. proposals for listing sharks and other species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

ScienceDaily (Aug. 13, 2011) — A thriving undersea wildlife park tucked away near the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula has proven to be the world's most robust marine reserve in the world, according to a new study led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

In the Caribbean Bay Islands of Honduras, Utila Dive Centre is working hard to care for the delicate marine environment through research, community education and, most recently, the Utila Clean Up Festival, including a Dive Against Debris.

The problem of ocean trash is growing by the day. But Project AWARE and dive volunteers around the world are putting these issues under the microscope and focusing on solutions – locally and globally. 

Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures, PADI 5 Star IDC Diver Training Centre in Sabah, Borneo, has committed to support Project AWARE's environmental conservation efforts by signing up for 500 Project AWARE branded certification cards.

MID North Coast Tourism has backed scuba divers and environmentalists in their push for greater grey nurse shark protections off South West Rocks and the Coffs Coast, in Australia.