Rainbow Reef Dive Center Dive Against Debris

Written by: Maddie Cholnoky

Project Aware represents a future for marine life and the vital ecosystems that thrive below the surface. The Project Aware courses we teach through Rainbow Reef Dive Center inspire our students as well as our dive professionals to protect, love and respect the waters they are in.

One of our proudest Dive Against Debris moments at Rainbow Reef Dive Center was on November 21st, 2019. We conducted an all-staff Goal: Clean Seas Florida Keys/Dive Against Debris trip to the USCG Bibb (shipwreck). An employee had seen large amounts of trap debris by the bottom of the wreck that had accumulated there as a result of Hurricane Irma. The company planned out the dive and timed it so that we could remove all the trap debris while keeping everyone safe at 130 feet. The group used multiple lift bags to bring the massive 500 lbs of tangled debris to the surface in sections. (Note: This activity was conducted under state and federal permits.)

Rainbow Reef has been reporting data consistently to Project Aware since 2016. Each year our partnership grows along with our dedicated dive staff. In 2020 we were able to pull up thousands of pounds of debris off The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaries and reported 207 debris dives to Project Aware. We work hard to prioritize marine conservation in the Florida Keys and share our data with Project Aware so they can share it on a global scale.

We conduct both all staff as well as student marine debris removal trips. The third Friday of every month is our student trip where we teach recreational divers how they can make every dive a debris dive, and together we can make a difference.