by Sciencey Diver D – Nov 2018
As an environmentally conscious dive centre, Tamarind Divers are driving a number of initiatives which have a direct impact on Our Ocean. We actively support environmental initiatives both on Nusa Lembongan and Bali. Tamarind Divers were responsible for launching ‘The Last Straw’ campaign in Nusa Lembongan, aimed at reducing single use plastic straws. We are an active member of ‘Trash Hero Lembongan’ and take part in weekly island & beach clean-ups. Tamarind Divers is a designated re-fill station for ‘Refill My Bottle’, an initiative aimed at reducing plastic waste and minimising impact on the environment. We only use re-usable plastics for our lunch boxes and drinking cups.
With this in mind, when the opportunity occurred to host some activities for Project Aware Week, Tamarind Divers were keen to become involved. Project Aware is a registered non-profit organisation. The global conservation organisation involves divers and water enthusiasts in projects and activities to conserve underwater environments.
The team at Tamarind Divers brainstormed which activities they could conduct to support Project Aware Week. Various suggestions were proposed including the ‘Aware-Coral Reef Conservation’ speciality course and a ‘Dive Against Debris’ Day. Dive Against Debris is a citizen science program that empowers scuba divers to remove debris from the ocean and report data on types, quantities and location of materials collected. The Dive Against Debris day suggestion was acted upon. A member of staff who had close links with Jack Fishman, Community Conservation Officer at Project Aware, reached out to seek advice and assistance. Jack kindly advised and provided the Dive Against Debris resources and promotional materials for the Project Aware week.
When Jack’s parcel arrived, the staff met to formulate an action plan! Thursday 20th September was decided as the Dive Against Debris day. Posters were designed and the event were promoted. Our guests were introduced to the concept and were keen to become involved. In the morning our dive boat left the dive centre and headed to the north coast of Penida. During the dives, the divers carried mesh bags underwater with them, to collect any rubbish we came across. The dive sites we helped clean up were ‘Pura Ped’ and ‘SD Point’.
During the afternoon the dive staff and guests conducted a Dive Against Debris dive in Lembongan Bay. All participants were briefed as to the Dive Against Debris protocols. The dive teams roamed the dive site collecting any debris they noticed. Once the dive was completed, they headed back to the dive centre to assess the spoils of our labour. The debris collected was collated and weighted. Then the items were categorised into various groups, eg. plastic, glass, ceramic, metal, wood, etc. The debris data was recorded along with the dive details and the dive site environmental conditions. The disposal of the debris was carefully considered. Some items were even upcycled and used in a project later! All the participants in the Dive Against Debris day really enjoyed the experience. Everyone valued the benefits of supporting these environmental activities.
As a result of the success of the Dive Against Debris day, the team at Tamarind Divers have decided to take Project Aware’s Dive Against Debris initiative further. We have applied to ‘Adopt a Dive Site.’ This will require us to pledge to conducting regular Dive Against Debris dives at a particular dive site. This further illustrates our commitment to environmental conservation. Keep a look out for further updates on how we progress with our Adopt a Dive Site program!
Dive Against Debris volunteers with rubbish collected after dive