Trash Free Seas & Water Ways

Each year, 14 million tons of trash are lost in the Ocean (and most is plastic discarded by consumers such as water bottles, plastic bags, balloons, and packing materials which put marine animals at risk for entanglement or ingestion).  Divers are often the first to observe the negative impact; they are also uniquely trained to remove and reduce it.  With the “Dive Against Debris Program” created by PADI in 2011, Scuba Divers have removed over 2.4 million pieces of trash and saved 35,000 entangled animals.  In alignment with this conservation program, “H2O Planet” sponsors Underwater Trash Cleanups at oceans, beaches, and lakes - where their Volunteer Divers remove and report trash to PADI’s Global Database (joining together with Divers worldwide as they all collaborate to save the Planet).  Volunteers are invited to join our efforts; dates of events are listed in the section for “Get Involved” on our website.

Check out links of recent photos and TV News Stories of “Dive Against Debris” Events, featuring many of our “H2O Planet” Volunteers.  Also explore the “Underwater Discoveries” Section of our website, for stories about the most unusual items we’ve found while diving.  (These have included refrigerators, snowmobiles, stolen cars, jewelry, wedding rings, cell phones – and giant Shark Teeth.)

- TV News: “Divers Assemble to Clean West Hill Pond” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_euOWZMQdc

- TV News: Scuba Team Dives for Debris in Union - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9EFda2S1vk

- Waterbury Republican Newspaper: “Scuba Divers Remove Refrigerator from Lake” - https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/09/15/underwater-cleanup-divers-pull-bottles-cans-bags-and-a-refrigerator-from-new-hartford-lake/