** MUST REGISTER AND PRE-PAY THROUGH THE DIVE SHOP IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE. REGISTRATION INFORMATION BELOW. **
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Join us for the world’s largest, one-day volunteer effort for our oceans and waterways, and show your commitment to reducing marine debris, along with millions of volunteers from across the globe! We’re joining forces with University of Miami’s Rescue a Reef and the Diver’s Paradise team to host a scuba trip with a purpose! We will conduct one cleanup dive and one coral restoration dive. You can read more about the history and impact of the International Coastal Cleanup here!
First, we’ll meet at 8:30 AM to sign waivers, retrieve rental gear, and do introductions – our team will speak about the harmful impacts of marine debris and plastic pollution, and then go over how to safely conduct a scuba cleanup. Rescue a Reef will brief us on how to best tend to the reefs and explain how to outplant the baby coral fragments or clean the fragments living in the nursery! After the briefings, we will head offshore to 2 sites on Florida’s Coral Reef to scuba dive and pick up any marine debris and trash that we find. Following the cleanup dive, we will collect marine debris data to submit to SEAFAN and PADI Project AWARE for future use by educators, researchers, and policy-makers. We’ll then conduct the coral restoration dive, whether on the reef or in the nursery.
You must have your open-water diver certification and a recommended minimum of 10 logged dives in order to participate. Parking is available in the Crandon Park Marina, where Diver’s Paradise is located.
Debris Free Oceans will provide gloves, dive shears, and mesh bags. The $20 reservation comes with tanks and weights from Diver’s Paradise, and additional scuba gear is available for rent from the dive shop. Please note that this is not a guided dive- if you would like a dive professional to lead you or your group, indicate this when you register for the trip.
You can book through the Diver’s Paradise trip calendar. Navigate to the September 16th 10 AM dive trip and click to book using the special trip code ICC2023, or by calling the shop at 305- 361-3483 to confirm your spot! Please email bonnie@debrisfreeoceans.org once you sign up so she can confirm your registration and add you to the official manifest.
If you have any outstanding questions, feel free to email bonnie@debrisfreeoceans.org!
Spearheaded globally by the Ocean Conservancy, VolunteerCleanup.org organizes Miami-Dade’s local participation in this annual event with 50+ simultaneous shoreline cleanups around the county and is made possible by the generous support of our presenting sponsors Covanta and Boucher Brothers, with additional support from Blackstone Charitable Foundation, The Brady Hunter Foundation, Benjamin & Gloria Joannou, Jr. Family Conservation Fund, City of Miami Beach, The Miami Foundation, Loud And Live, and Miami-Dade County RER-DERM
