Bermudian dive site a shocking mess - journalist helps with marine clean-up

Bermuda Sun journalist and keen diver Sarah Lagan took part in a Marine Clean-up recently, helping that online daily create a new series.

It's an example of how we as a newspaper can provide practical, hands-on help. We plan to highlight 'green' innovations and explain the connection between careful stewardship of our environment and the quality of our lives.

In these worrying economic times, questions about natural resources, the use of fuel and how it affects the price of everything from our breakfast cereal to our daily bus ride, have never been more relevant to ordinary people.

Back in July we launched Going Green, a monthly advertising supplement, to provide a focal point for local firms. We want to bolster that innovation with regular news, business and lifestyle stories that have a strong environmental flavour.

Before I moved to Bermuda in July as a newly qualified scuba diver keen to test new waters I never envisaged going on a dive like the one I did with Keep Bermuda Beautiful on Saturday. Just off the launch ramp at Ship's Wharf in St. David's we met with John Trimingham, owner of Peppercorn Moorings. He generously donates his modest barge, aptly named the Maid of Plywood, for clean up missions on a regular basis.

Climbing aboard I got kitted out in my dive gear, also donated for free by Blue Water Diving, along with KBB executive director Richard Lathan and a second volunteer Ken Robinson. Richard and Ken took the first dive down to get an idea of what was lying on the seabed and what could be brought up.

The sad thing that emerged was that the majority of items down there were too big for us to bring up on the day. But in this ten-minute mapping exercise Richard brought up a large, rusting battery and dumped it on the barge. Keen to get a look at the site myself I jumped into the water and descended around 15 feet to the bottom following behind Ken. Because of the water movement so close to the shore, sand was everywhere and I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

Keeping hold of a line we made our way across the seabed for around 30 feet into the open water before coming across another large battery which we attached to a rope and pulled to the surface. I was quite surprised because apart from the battery and sand it was relatively clear of debris.

It wasn't until we started diving closer to the dock that the true extent of the pollution became clear. We descended back down and within just a small area there were a couple of large powerboat engines and other mechanical equipment, a couple of tyres that were probably used as fenders on a boat and two large barrels one full of concrete previously used as a mooring.

Most of the stuff had either sunken into the sand or was just too heavy to bring up but we did manage to hook up one of the tyres and another battery. I decided to go and explore by myself as close to the dock as I could get and was amazed to see the amount of household trash that had been dumped there.

There was a porcelain toilet, a patio umbrella, cups, plates, bottles all merging into the seabed. I could have spent hours bringing the smaller items up but Richard said he'd take large baskets next time as well as some heavy duty hooks for the larger stuff.

Although we didn't come out of the dive with tons of rubbish I certainly came out with a heavy heart knowing how little regard some people have for their marine environment. I'd like to go along to the next clean up at the site to see the real action.