It is a sad fact of diving, but every dive is a clean up dive when you are a Scuba diver, especially with Bocas Dive Center where we actively encourage our divers to pick up any trash that they might find on a dive site.
Bocas Dive Center is a 100% Project AWARE dive shop, one of only two in all of Panama. This means that we take conservation seriously; we also make a contribution on behalf of our students to Project AWARE and they receive a special certification card. Although not required, we invite students to match our donation, so that we can all contribute to the efforts that Project AWARE makes in both Panama and around the world.
As part of our commitment, we have adopted our exclusive dive site - Mayday - and undertake a monthly Dive Against Debris. During this we urge certified divers to join us and help remove marine debris and then report data on the types and quantities of the trash collected to Project AWARE’s flagship citizen-science program.
Bocas Dive Center has been undertaking this cleaning and survey for more than two years and our divers have removed almost 2,000 Pounds of debris. However, with our proximity to the town center, sadly there is always more to collect every month.
The Dive Against Debris program has been running since 2011 and more than 86,000 divers have participated in Dive Against Debris in 120 countries around the world, reporting over 1.6 million pieces of trash.
This localized reporting improves the health of the ocean’s ecosystem but also helps educate people from the area, and the data also provides valuable information about underwater debris to help inform policy change.
Our Dive Against Debris dives tend to run on the last Sunday of each month (but check our social media for other dates and events). We welcome all certified divers to join us in our efforts. Our PADI professionals lead groups of certified divers. Each diver is provided with a mesh bag in which to gather the collected trash.
In return for your time, we will offer free tanks and equipment hire to all divers. We also urge divers to donate to our local charitable cause. In the past this has ranged from donations to coral reef conservancy, Turtle protection programs and local school initiatives.
Spaces are limited each month, so sign up early by sending a message via WhatsApp to +507 6348 9597 or email info@bocasdivecenter.com.
Happy bubbles.