Who would have thought cleaning could be so much fun?!
Ocean piers are walkways out to the sea. They are great for fishing and sightseeing and attract all kinds of people. The daily traffic day after day, month after month, year after year brings all kinds of treasures that have been dropped or thrown over the railing and into the water that surrounds the pier. Fisherman lose their hooks, lures and weights on a regular basis. Monofilament weaves a tangled web around rocks and pylons which become hazardous to sea life. These items start adding up and they need to be cleaned periodically. Scuba divers are again called upon to help keep our oceans clean.
During a “pier cleanup”, the pier is closed to fisherman for a few hours to give divers a safe period of time to swim under and around the pier. Buckets are lowered in various areas and are filled up with all these lost fishing items, beer and soda cans, bottles and other garbage that has been carelessly discarded. I have done quite a few pier cleanups where items such as rings, cremation boxes and even a laptop computer have been found. I don’t think they ever got the laptop to work again but it sure was exciting to think about what else could be found! It was also fun seeing fish called “lookdowns”, barracudas and snook swimming close to the pier.
Well it’s that time again. Gold Coast Scuba and Stoked on Salt are hosting their 3rd annual Earth Day Shoreline & Pier Clean Up at Anglins Pier at Commercial Blvd. It’s Saturday, April 29th from 8am-11am (divers start earlier). This event isn’t just for scuba divers. It is a family event that not only helps the environment, but will also include free prize give-aways! Come join a truly fun morning out at the beach.
Call Gold Coast Scuba for more info 954-616-5909
