Colonial Beach Cleanup Dive

Not all diving is for just plain fun, often divers respond to the needs of a community whose livelihood is in part or all dependent upon tourism, Colonial Beach Virginia is no different, in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel the shorelines of the beach were inundated with materials both from the storm surge and submerged debris. Divers who often spent their time exploring shipwrecks or reefs gave up their time for two cleanups we held. In 2005 the kids were getting cut up in one area and at one location. Some thought it was just dumb luck a broken bottle, instead we found a 55 gallon barrel that had been used as a barbeque was filled with glass and nails roofing debris, it took two days to raise the barrel and for quite a while the images of the barrel were displayed in the Lobby of the Town Hall. The divers of the Northern Neck Shipwreck survey which I headed up at the time and divers from the IMH ( Institute of Maritime History) SHIP ( Submerged History Inventory Program) surveyed and cleaned the general swimming area and the areas around jetties to clear the debris. The debris in the "Isabel Barrel " as it came to be known weighed in at about 275 lbs excluding the weight of the barrel. This project and others like it show how divers care about the marine ecosystem, and I am proud that many of these people I call friends

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Public Service Diving
• Beach Cleanup
• Shipwreck
• Hurricanes
• Colonial Beach