Ocean debris – some unusual items found

On 10 June 2018, 18 volunteer divers set off at dawn to the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park to clean Singapore’s reefs as part of the KOSÉ SAVE the BLUE event. This task was also to acknowledge and celebrate 2018 World Oceans Day and the International Year of the Reef. The divers’ mission was to save the ocean by collecting and documenting the marine debris found within the park. The divers were organised into smaller groups each led by an experienced dive guide and transported to the dive location in two boats. Dive guides from local dive company The Submersibles, National Parks Board (NParks) and Our Singapore Reefs did an excellent job of making sure that it was a safe, efficient and productive mission.

Underwater diving and clearing of underwater trash may seem like a new trend, however, Our Singapore Reefs – a community group of dedicated dive volunteers – are proving it to be a viable solution to protect our waters.

Participating in two 45-minute dives, the volunteer divers successfully removed 492 pieces of debris weighing over 126kg, which included bottles, fishing wire, tires, boat parts, along with fragments of metal and glass. All debris collected was transported back to the One°15 Marina for proper disposal. The data collected will be available online on Project AWARE’s Dive Against Debris, a citizen-science programme that contributes to the global effort to combat marine debris.

Sorting through some debris

No mean feat, considering that since the same period last year, the total number of clean up dives organised by Our Singapore Reefs is 11, whilst engaging 190 dive volunteers who have collected 2,815 pieces of underwater trash with a total weight of 619.87kg.

Brenda Goh, marketing manager of KOSÉ Singapore commented about their involvement, “The KOSÉ SAVE the BLUE Project is our ongoing environmental initiative focused on ocean conservation and environmental protection. This year, we are pleased to be able to partner with Our Singapore Reefs and The International SeaKeepers Society in this meaningful activity as we do our part to protect these valuable natural resources.”

While Tropical Marine Science Institute Director (TMSI), Professor Wong Sek Man added, “TMSI works closely with Maritime Port Authority and NParks to conserve marine organisms such as corals, giant clams and sponges. As a Tropical Marine Science Research Institute, we are interested in marine biodiversity and conservation.”

This mission was organised by Our Singapore Reefs with the cleanup site selected through observations and in consultation with the relevant agencies such as NParks. The KOSÉ SAVE the BLUE Marine Cleanup was supported by Friends of the Marine Park, Singapore; The International SeaKeepers Society, Asia; The Submersibles; Tropical Marine
Science Institute of the National University of Singapore and ONE°15 Marina. KOSÉ SEKKISEI was the generous sponsor for the boats used throughout the mission.

All in all, the volunteer divers ended the day’s mission on a high note with a sense of having contributed to conserving Singapore’s marine environment and expressing a commitment to regularly do more. KOSÉ SAVE the BLUE Marine Clean Up was indeed a fruitful demonstration of what a successful collaboration of citizen science, corporations, NGOs and the Government can achieve.

For more information about the organisations involved in this ocean clean-up event:
www.worldoceansday.org
www.facebook.com/oursingaporereefs
www.kose.com.sg
www.seakeepers.org
www.tmsi.nus.edu.sg