Dive Against Debris
Project AWARE’s flagship citizen-science program, Dive Against Debris® , empowers scuba divers to remove marine debris from the ocean and report data on the types, quantities and locations of materials collected.
Since the program’s launch in 2011, more than 50,000 divers have participated in Dive Against Debris in 114 countries around the world, reporting over 1 million pieces of trash. As the only underwater debris data collection program of its kind, Dive Against Debris both improves the health of ocean ecosystems through localized volunteer efforts and provides valuable information about underwater debris to help inform policy change.
A fun fact: Fathoms Free's first event was a Dive Against Debris! Organised by Rob Thompson in August 2014, what he thought would be a one off event turned out to be such a success that he had no choice but continue, and so Fathoms Free was born. We have since diversified into ghost gear dives, Paddle for Plastic, beach cleans and raising awareness, but Dive Against Debris events continue to be an important part of our activities - they are fun, inclusive, and it feels great to be part of a global movement!
If you are interested in joining us on one of our Dive Against Debris dive, please keep an eye on our Facebook page, or drop us a message.