Report by ODA Advisory Board Member Marjorie Zensen
A crew of ODA volunteers went on a debris-removal expedition aboard our partner Island Divers Hawaii’s boat Seafox.
Our destination was a location we’ve been wanting to get back to for a while. Ocean conditions dictate where we can go, and “Fish Camp” is a tricky one. Thankfully, Captain Tim Hollandsworth made it happen!
The ocean was, as Dive Master Marlena Neal put it, “sporty!” Big rolling waves made for an interesting ride out and an even more interesting jump into the water. But, again, Captain Tim kept us safe!
Once we were underwater, things calmed down and it was a really nice dive.
We were kept so busy with all the fishing line and wire that we really couldn’t enjoy our surroundings. We were able to sneak a few peaks at a turtle swimming lazily by and a few of the many large schools of fish, including Moorish idols.
The sad part was seeing one entangled eel, already dead. Here you can see the poor guy. We really hate to see this, and it makes us want to clean the oceans all the more!
A second eel was hiding in a coral head with a hook in its mouth. After a valiant try, our divers were not able to get the hook out, but they did cut the line so that he was no longer pinned in his spot.
Finishing the dive, Ed and Dan took care of the very heavy bucket filled with lead weights, hooks, and fishing line. This is always a very tricky part of the dive in “sporty” conditions, but with help from the onboard crew of Kirk and Glenn, they were able to haul it safely on board.
After that task, Captain Tim carefully maneuvered the Seafox towards the divers and we were all able to quickly get on board.
Volunteer Crew:
- Captain Tim Hollandsworth
- Boat Crew Kirk Meznarich
- Boat Crew Glenn Roberts
In water:
- Dive Master Marlena Neal
- Dive Master in training Mira Maroni
- Alan Alegre
- Crystal Gray
- Dan Okamura
- Ed Sisino
- Ken Staples
- Marc Daniels
- Marjorie Zensen
- Mark England
- Michael Dal Pra
- Walker Embrey
With Thanksgiving coming up, I can tell you that we were very grateful to have removed the following debris so that no more eels in that area will be entangled or hooked.
The haul:
- 1340 yards of fishing line
- 75 pounds of lead weights
- Assortment of other trash items
We’re also thankful for our support crew – YOU! Thank you so much for making sure we can get out to sea and defend the beautiful flora and fauna of the oceans!
