International Cleanup Day this year was a great success as always.
We split up into two groups for the day. Our non-divers, staff members and other volunteers started in the morning with a beach cleanup. We included empty pieces of wasteland near to the beach that are often used as impromptu trash cans. We also cleared away debris that was still left from Typhoon Frank in June.
In the afternoon, divers went on a free dive courtesy of TSD to collect any underwater rubbish. Everyone was keen to get stuck in and do their part. The prize for most enthusiastic goes to Tata – before most people had even got into their wetsuits, he was already tugging half a tree back to the boat.
We found the usual assortment of nappies, clothing, crisp packets and plastics at Bantigi Cove, though as usual we were pleasantly surprised at how little trash we managed to find.
The marine life watched curiously. Moray eels were coming out of their hidey holes for a closer look and lionfish hung around in expectation. It seemed for once that they were the audience instead of us.
International Cleanup Day 2008
We finally finished as it was getting dark. As everyone was gathered ready for the photograph, Andrea presented a beaming Jun-Jun, Senen and Erwin with their newly arrived PADI Open Water Diver Certification cards. Our compressor man, boat captain and boat man respectively finished their OW courses with Andrea in July. Erwin is already quickly on the way to becoming our next Divemaster while Jun and Senen are currently working on AOW. Congratulations to all three of them.
Andrea scooted upstairs to make her lethal fruit punch, as is traditional, free to all contributors in thanks for their hard work today. Mike, who organized today’s cleanup, celebrated his XX-th birthday today, so the night turned into quite a party at the Pub Upstairs.