Divers WIth a Purpose

Yesterday we had an incredible clean up dive off the cliffs of China Walls. Eight people from various walks of life, came out and took time to care for an area of O’ahu that has been riddled with fishing line and weights. This being the third clean up dive I have organized, I felt it was a huge success. We started out with a talk about the endemic species of Hawaii. Did you know that 23% of the animals you see on the reef here are endemic, meaning they only exist in Hawaii!  The reason I felt this was a good intro to a clean up dive was to give meaning to the dive. These animals are the ones who are living in dead coral heads that have been choked out by line, algae and smashed by anchors. I wanted to make it more personal.

Today I am going on the Radio to talk about the clean up dive (760 am Hawaii’s Tomorrow) and why it’s important for us as residence of the islands to care vigilantly for our reefs. My clean up dives are a way to start to spread awareness. Not just to my volunteers, but to by standards as well. After the clean up we proceeded to congratulate ourselves on the amount of line we extracted. An individual came up and asked us what we were doing. This gentleman was so excited he wanted to know how he could get certified so he could go on the next dive. This is how grass roots start, One person making a difference leads to others making a difference. I’m doing my best to live the change in the world that I want to see, and I’m finding that the people around me are changing too.

The next clean up dive will be a shore dive followed by a BBQ on shore. I’m proposing Feb 11th. Stay tuned for more information about what we can do as an island community to help protect our reefs for the future generations of Hawaii.

Divers With a Purpose

0 Comments

  • Marlene says:

    I am so happy that you are taking a “plunge” and cleaning up O’ahu’s back yard. I can’t wait to have the opportunity to take part in one of your clean ups. Is your Project Aware going to be extended to other parts of our globe?

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