5 Ways to Help Save our Seas During the Pandemic

Take up a Water Sport to Support Local Small Businesses 

With coronavirus forcing everyone into their homes, many small local businesses are at the risk of permanent closure. As beach parking lots remained closed during the start of the summer season, small surf & scuba shops felt heavy losses. Today, while business is ticking up as more people seek the water for refuge from being trapped inside during hot summer days, many business owners countdown the days left of the summer season wondering if it’ll be enough to float them through the winter. As many people are afforded the ability to Work From Home with more flexible schedules, we want to make the case for all coastal dwellers to take up a water sport and sport their local small business. Whether that means buying a winter-ready wetsuit, a new pair of fins, or investing in dive gear, you’ll be helping your neighbors survive the economic downturn still to be realized. We hear dive masks are very IN right now!

Organize a Beach Clean Up

A fun activity that requires minimal effort and social contact. Set up your own meet-up group to find like-minded people willing to volunteer on a Saturday morning for a beach clean up. Masks or no-masks, helping clean up the garbage and debris from getting into the water is impactful not only for aquatic life but even our coastal loving birds.

Raise Awareness about Super Trawlers

If you are able to get past the election and corona updates teeming into the top of your newsfeed every second, you may get down to some sinister happenings in our ocean waters. Super Trawlers are large ships with miles of netting that capture approximately 300,000 lbs of wildlife bycatch from our oceans every year, with a 3:1 ratio of bycatch to actual product. This practice does not discriminate and often dolphins, other mammals are swept to their death, their carcasses thrown overboard with complete disregard. Raise awareness to help conservationists force local legislators to act quickly.

Find Ways to Reduce Waste at Home

A great activity you can get the whole family involved in. We recommend starting the first week taking inventory of all the various ways your home uses plastics and other single use products. Next, brainstorm innovative ways to eliminate waste in your own home. This can be simple things such as shopping in bulk bins at grocery stores for just the right amount you need or investing in imperfect foods that delivers produce straight to your door. Check out our precious blog "The Worst Type of 'Dive Viz' is an Ocean Full of Trash" for detailed advise on creating less household waste.

Donate to These Awesome Water People Doing Big Things

In the process of building an app for divers, we’ve come to know and love some of the best divers and ocean lovers in the world who have built their own non-profit organizations committing to saving the big blue. Here are just a few of our favorite people doing amazing work for the benefit of all ocean creatures. If you are able to donate a few bucks a month, it goes a long way. Even a like or follow on their socials can be tremendously supportive.

@projectkolika

@the_last_forests_project

@projecthiu

@nakaweproject

@coralrestorationfoundation

@coralgardeners