What is Marine Debris/Marine Trash

Garbage on the beach is not only unsightly, but extremely dangerous!

Plastic bags, balloons,  straws, pieces of plastic, etc. are often mistaken for food by marine life. They cause injury and death to millions of marine mammals, turtles, birds and other species.

Plastic degrades in the ocean, releasing chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system, and these bio-amply, so they eventually end up in our bodies, causing a variety of health problems.

What We Do

We have been conducting Underwater and Beach Clean Ups since 1996, wherein our team accompanied by divers and non-divers alike, join hands and clean the beach on St. George Island. Our 2018 annual Clean Up was different from the other years where we invited only certified divers to clean Suzy’s Wreck (the most popular dive site here for recreational divers) and rid her of innumerable small pieces of fishing nets and debris which is killing all the lovely small soft corals as well as sea fans.

This program is currently on hold until the pandemic problem allows it to be conducted in a safe manner.

Besides these annual clean-ups, we collect underwater trash every time we dive!

What You Can Do to Reduce Marine Trash

• Reduce the use of single use products and reuse as much as possible.
• Try to switch to reusable bottles, cups, etc. as much as possible.
• Pick up trash when you can. Aim to pick up at least three items of garbage from the beach every time you go!
• Join us on our annual Underwater and Beach Clean Up drives!
• Reduce or try to quit smoking! Cigarette butts and filters are non-biodegradable, and in 2017, in one day alone, 2.4 million cigarette butts were picked up! (Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal  Cleanup Report, 2017)