Be part of the solution! Help clean up West Australian oceans, harbours and rivers in the annual Narc Dive Club Underwater & Land Cleanup. As a certified PADI Advanced Scuba Diver, we volunteered for their 2020 efforts. Here’s how to get involved.

Being a certified PADI Scuba Diver, exploring Western Australia’s expansive and enviable coastline is always a delight. From packed boat trips out to Rottnest Island reefs, or an easy shore dive off the beach; to a night dive under the local Jetty or a cheeky Sunday slip into Swan River – WA waters always offers up the goods.

But I would be lying if I said that under the picturesque sparkling surface was a pristine and plastic-free world. Because the truth is, especially if you look hard enough, man-made rubbish always lurks beneath. The even sadder truth is – much of this rubbish blends in so well to its surroundings, that you would be mistaken for thinking it was part of the ecosystem. Then, there is the whole issue of microplastics, tiny plastics largely invisible to the naked eye.

Let’s not lose hope here, because it doesn’t actually have to be this way – or even have to stay this way. At least not when Western Australian environmental conservationists and scuba divers have anything to do with it! And you too, can be part of this movement. Join the fight against plastic and debris in our oceans, by helping to clean up Western Australia’s polluted waterways, rivers, oceans and harbours by participating in Narc Dive Club’s Annual Underwater & Land Clean Up events. Or heck, any underwater clean-up events for that matter.

This year, I put my heart into action as I hate seeing rubbish in our waters. I decided to do something about it by joining the 2020 Narc Dive Club Annual Land & Underwater Clean Up – which so happened to be their 10th Anniversary milestone of cleaning up WA waters. The location of choice – the not so scenic and oily, tyre-filled waters of:  Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour. (Though, Little Creatures Brewery was just around the corner for reward drinks after!!)

Held across the weekend of Saturday 24th – Sunday 25th October 2020, this special two-day event saw an enormous number of volunteers (scuba divers & land volunteers) come together to be part of a great cause. Read about my experience below!

Adam and I helped volunteer on the day to cleanup Freo Harbour.

That’s me on the left cleaning up some rubbish. [Photo Credit: True Focus Images]

Adam helping remove tyres from Fremantle Fishing Harbour.

Adam in the midst of it – team work is required!

About NARC Dive Club

Narc Dive Club has been cleaning up West Australia rivers, harbours, oceans and waterways for the last ten years. Consisting of Perth-based conservationists and scuba divers, Narc Dive Club runs annual land & underwater clean up events that are volunteer-led. Whether you are a scuba diver or not, everybody and anybody is welcome – it’s free to join!

Chris Dodd, the President and Event Organiser of Narc Dive Club, has been interviewed by a variety of WA media outlets over the last decade on their admirable clean up efforts. For further reading, check out some of these articles:

• 7News report 2019 report – “Plastic Pollution: The Dive Team Vowing to Clean Up WA’s Rubbish-Filled Waterways“
• PerthNow’s 2016 report –  “Narc Dive Club Recover Tonnes of Rubbish From Fremantle Harbour“
• West Australian’s 2018 report – “Divers Called in For Clean-Up Effort For ‘Filthy’ Hillarys Boat Harbour“

For the 2020 Narc Dive Club Annual Land & Underwater Clean Up, the Melville Gazette reported on it below – where you can see my boyfriend Adam and I waving enthusiastically at the camerain one of their featured images. Haha, noice!

There’s Adam and I waving at the camera! [Credit: True Focus Images]

Helping to clean up Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour was an eye-opening experience. For an idea of what it was like, look no further than how the previous year went in the below video, where Today Tonight interviewed Chris Dodd on its success.

 

Why I Got Involved in the Dive Cleanup of Freo Harbour

I first heard about this event through a friend of mine, Louise, who is also a scuba diver. I couldn’t believe I had not heard about Narc Dive Club earlier, considering they have been running successful volunteer-led cleanup events in Western Australia for the last decade. After heading to their Facebook Page and reading up on the event, I registered immediately.

With 2020 being such an anxiety-fueled year with much uncertainty, it felt timely and right to put my energy and mindset into something far greater than myself, to make some positive change happen with results I could see. The COVID-19 pandemic really highlighted to me just how precious the health of our planet – our ecosystem – needs to be for a sustainable and healthy future for next generations to enjoy. Humanity needs to ‘get it together’ in tackling what I think is another pandemic that has been going on for some time – the waste pandemic –  and the staggering accumulation of plastic and other man-made waste that pollute our environments.

Freo Fishing Harbour is picturesque above the water, but not under. [True Focus Images]

Safety Briefing

After registering for the cleanup 2020 event as an ‘Underwater Volunteer’, I received an email with further details of the Narc Dive Club Safety Briefing.  This Safety Briefing is compulsory to attend, and is held one week prior to ensure all know the dive schedule summary ahead, as well as safety protocols. It’s also an opportunity to network, meet your ‘Team Leader’ and ask any questions.

Narc Dive Club’s Safety Briefing, held a week prior to the day.

Getting all the details ahead of the day. We’re paying attention!

NARC Dive Club 10th Annual Land & Underwater Clean Up

The Dive Schedule Summary for the two-day event was made easy by grouping all land and underwater volunteers into four main teams – Team Nautilus, Team Mana, Team Mermaid and Team Kraken – each with their own team captain, and a schedule detailing rotational shifts at allocated time slots throughout the day.

Here’s a brief summary on my schedule. On Saturday 24th, my team – Team Nautilus – were first in the water to retrieve underwater rubbish at 8am-9am at “Hub 1” – a targeted area in the harbour. Afterwards, Team Nautilus moved to the role of ferrying rubbish from 9am-10am. After ferrying rubbish, Team Nautilus assisted in sorting and cataloguing incoming debris from 10am-11am. Then, Team Nautilus moved onto helping the next dive team “kit up” at 11am to 12pm.  At 12pm-1pm, we all had lunch together, before moving onto “Hub 2” – the next section of the Habour, and so this rotation of teams continues.

The rotational diving schedule was efficient with everybody helping each other in one way, or another. There was no just ‘standing around’ – it was all hands on deck, even children were getting involved, helping to log rubbish for statistics and hosing down hot divers! It was great to see all involved to be part of such a great cause.

Take a look at some of the great action shots taken by True Focus Images of the 2020 Narc Dive Day Clean up below, where you can spot Adam, Louise and myself in some of the photos ;P

My friend, pictured left, showing her strength! Me in the middle on the right.

Thanks to my friend, Louise, for telling me about this event.

Briefing on the day, listening to NARC President and Event Organiser, Chris Dodd. [Cred: True Focus Images]

From Left: Louise, myself and Adam setting up. [Cred: True Focus Images]

My team captain going over the Dive Schedule Summary [True Focus Images]

NARC Dive Club’s annual clean-up is quite the operation. [Cred: True Focus Images]

Wheelbarrows helped to ferry rubbish. [True Focus Images]

Adam and I on standby to help divers with the rubbish. [Cred: True Focus Images]

This little trolley was found and brought up by divers. [Cred: True Focus Images]

All hands on deck! Those tyres aren’t light! [Credit: True Focus Images]

Miscellaneous metals and corrugated steel found in Freo Harbour.

Cleaning up Fremantle Harbour with Narc Dive Club. [Cred: True Focus Images]

Divers ‘signing out’ after their dive. [Cred: True Focus Images]

A smart way to ‘cool off’ in the heat. [True Focus Images]

This is why we wear gloves during the cleanup! [True Focus Images]

Adam inspecting rubbish.

Pulling a large shopping trolley out of Freo Harbour! [Cred: True Focus Images]

Taking direction – heave, ho! [Cred: True Focus Images]

Collecting bottles at Narc’s Annual Cleanup. [True Focus Images]

My friend, Louise (left) conducting a safety check. [Cred: True Focus Images]

A diver passing up rubbish. [True Focus Images]

Yes, that is a television found dumped in Freo Harbour. [Cred: True Focus Images]

The boat crew helped with diver safety. [True Focus Images]

Sorting through and auditing the rubbish.

All marine life seen in rubbish were safely relocated back to the water.

A blowfish found amidst the action, dropped back into the water.

There were jellyfish in the water, but they caused no harm. [True Focus Images]

A club member on a Jetski protects divers from incoming boats.[True Focus Images]

Divers in Fremantle Harbour for Narc Dive Cleanup Day 2020

“Pink Kayak” helping out divers and collecting excess rubbish. [True Focus Images]

Fremantle Harbour Clean up of 2020. [True Focus Images]

We weren’t just cleaning up underwater! [True Focus Images]

Rubbish for days. Slightly depressing to look at. [True Focus Images]

Sorting through the debris. [True Focus Images]

Cataloguing the debris to help with rubbish statistics. [True Focus Images]

Would it be a proper diving event without a diver losing their fins?

Narc Dive Club Annual Underwater and Land Cleanup 2020. This photo was taken at the end of Day 2! Great turnout.

Rubbish Statistics

Contact NARC Dive Club

Like what Narc Dive Club is all about? Want to join their efforts? Give them a ‘Like’ on their official Facebook Page and follow their posts on Facebook, where they post regularly about upcoming events. If you need to get in touch with the club or their Club President, Chris Dodd, on this email: narcdiveclub@yahoo.com.au

Photography in this blog – True Focus Images

The majority of images seen in this article are from True Focus Images. The photographer – who is also a scuba diver – has a passion for underwater photography! And he did a fantastic job photographing people while also helping out with the events schedule. To see the full albums of both Day 1 and Day 2 of the Narc Dive Club 2020 Cleanup, please visit his Facebook Page and give him a “Like” 🙂

Thanks for reading my blog!

Feel free to leave any comments below. Stay safe, and if “you step over it, you allow it!”