The Project Aware cleanup divers with some of the rubbish they retrieved from the seabed. (AN photo by Roger Harrison)

JEDDAH, 15 September 2006 — Divers from across the Kingdom yesterday successfully completed another annual cleanup day off Jeddah’s northern coastline. Organized by Desert Sea Divers, PADI-Dive-Course instructors and students departed from their marina on three boats at daybreak and returned at sunset with loads of man-made debris gleaned from the seabed.

“The Red Sea is today one of the last Coral Seas that so far haven’t suffered from coral bleaching and pollution to the same extent as other major Oceania,” said Hans Sjoeholm, PADI course director and coordinator.

“We organize this event annually in cooperation with PADI’s Project Aware foundation. We try to keep our aquatic environment a healthy one to visit for many generations to come,” he said. Project Aware is a PADI initiative to raise awareness of divers and non-divers as to the fragility of the marine ecosystem and the need to conserve it.

“Unfortunately,” said Andriopoulos, “despite all the hard work today, I fear that in a few weeks it will all be undone. Tremendous efforts are needed to get the importance of the marine environment across to users and the potential future users, children.”

The cleanup journey included three dives along the locally popular sites at Sheraton Beach, Al-Nakheel Beach, and Al-Bilad Beach. Much of the garbage along these sites had been in the water for a considerable length of time but there was the usual garnish of newly-deposited drink cans and a smattering of car tires.

The afternoon saw a trip to “Five Mile Reef,” a sheltered site popular with commercial fishermen and divers alike. Initially intended to be a relaxing dive, the group again returned to the surface carrying sacks of garbage. The range of garbage items gathered during the day stretched from simple bottles and aluminum drink cans through personal clothing items to a well rusted depth gauge and part of a concrete balustrade left over from a beach resort’s building operations.

Fishermen who make their living from the sea are also substantial contributors to the variety of rubbish on the sea floor. Fishing lines, weights and hooks formed a major part of the day’s haul.

Sjoeholm told the group during the briefing session that preceded the day’s activities that the nylon filament used in the manufacture of lines took about 600 years to bio-degrade.

Desert Sea Divers team leaders for the three boats were Hans Sjoeholm, Maggie Andriopoulos and Sarah Bagdadi.

Desert Sea Divers supervisor Abu Bakr said that debris was a consequence of everyone’s actions and sixty percent of this debris results from shoreline and recreational activities. “People don’t realize the impact of their actions and they don’t realize where things go. Debris is a preventable problem and by taking part in the International Cleanup Day you can help influence change.”

After all three boats had safely returned to shore, participants were awarded for their contribution and efforts in making the cleanup project a success.