Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (KHON2) — The nonprofit Ocean Defenders Alliance organized a large-scale cleanup effort by ODA scuba divers and volunteers at Honokohau Harbor.
“Today was an incredible day for us. We’ve been doing these cleanups on the Big Island for about four years. I think this was our 9.th Kurt Lieber, President and Founder of Ocean Defenders, said: Alliance.
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The cleaning was carried out on Sunday, November 13th. So what was found on the seafloor?
“Today we got 46 tires, which we estimate to be about 3,500 pounds of other wreckage, so that was a really big deal,” says Lieber.
The most common items were related to boats and construction materials, according to Ocean Defender Hawaiian’s Hawaii Island chapter leaders Lieber and Sarah Milisen.
“The most common items we pulled up were the pipes that the boats used, carpets, and stuff like that. Hoses, PVC, a lot of construction material around the edge of the harbor,” Milisen said. rice field.
Milisen added that many came from local Big Island residents and several businesses that helped sponsor the cleanup.
According to Lieber, tires tend to be one of the most toxic pieces of trash dumped into the ocean. “I don’t think most people realize how toxic tires can be. I have to say we have removed almost 1,000 tires in the time we have been doing this. We also have a branch on Oahu.”
ODA removed over 110 tires during a July dive on Oahu. “These tires are really toxic. They have about 200 different chemicals that make them up, and these chemicals leach into the water over time. , we don’t know what havoc it will wreak on any underwater creature that can’t escape it,” Lieber added.
Hermit crabs tend to be attracted to these discarded tires. “In one tire he found 1,000 dead hermit crabs,” Lieber said.
Hawaii residents are not the only ones participating in the protection of Hawaii’s waters. Lieber said she met a California couple who traveled to Kona to help clean up.
“I really think the people who come out to these cleanups really need to be recognized,” Lieber said.
Ocean-based cleanups involve working with divers who work to pull items from the ocean floor and bring them to the shoreline, where volunteers sort them and try to recycle them as much as possible.
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“It takes a big team effort, not just divers. You don’t have to be scuba certified. Anyone can get volunteers to come in and help with all the heavy lifting. It’s dirty work, but it’s It’s very rewarding to pull it out of the sea,” concludes Milisen.
