By ODA Dive Team Coordinator, Dive Master, and Advisory Board Member Gary Liebmann
The Oahu Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA) volunteers were anticipating some clean up redemption this December 15th, 2024.
After cancelling the November cleanup dive due to unfavorable weather conditions, we were all looking to wrap up 2024 with full buckets and smiles on our faces! As luck would have it conditions were perfect for our dive this particular Sunday; the wind was fair, the surface waves very low and the tide was high!
As usual we all gathered at the Maunalua Bay Beach park at 2:00 pm awaiting the arrival of the Na Makana to take us to our destination. The group of volunteers included Christopher Ashmore, Henry Bennett, Crystal Gray, Jerritt Larson, Temple Liebmann, Bill Metzler, Dan Okamura, Glenn Roberts, and me.
Shortly after we all gathered at the beach park, the Na Makana pulled up to the boat launch, and we quickly loaded up all our gear and made preparations to head out.
As we began to make our way out into the bay, we were aware of just how lucky we were today in terms of the weather; it was smooth sailing! There was no question, we were heading out to Fish Camp to fill our buckets with as much rubbish as we could find in a 30-minute dive.
As we were heading out, I gave the dive brief and decided that with only seven clean up divers and myself as the safety diver, we would only be bringing two buckets down with us.
Fish Camp site always has a ton of fishing activity, and for the first time since I’ve been diving at this spot, there were three fishermen actively fishing there. Captain Garrett Prinslow pulled up as close to the sea wall as he safely could and let the fishermen know what we were doing and that we would not bother the gear they were actively using.
At ODA, we all agree it’s important to maintain a healthy relationship with the local fishermen even though their mess is what we are there to clean up. After Captain Garrett announced what we were there for, the fishermen signaled back with a shaka gesture and pulled up their lines. I think in a way we have a symbiotic relationship with fishermen, and they appreciate what we do to help keep the oceans healthy so they can continue to do what they enjoy.
After the brief interaction with the local fishermen, Captain Garrett expertly positioned us for the drop, and with Temple’s help as deckhand, we all made it in one drop without a hitch and headed for the dive site 80 feet below.
We placed one bucket at the 80-foot mark and the other bucket up on a ledge against the sea wall that bottoms out at about 45 feet, that’s when the work began! Down at 80 feet there was a lot of line, and we had about three volunteers collecting all this. To my surprise it was really starting to look a lot better there, I believe that we’ve really been making an impact by removing the loose lines at this location.
Up on the ledge there was an endless supply of lost fishing weights. Within minutes, I could see the 5-gallon bucket filling quickly with lead fishing weight.
After about 20 minutes at 80 feet, I noticed that my no decompression limit was getting lower than I was comfortable with, and with the bucket on the ledge showing almost full of weights, I decided it was time to call the dive.
I gave the signal, and the bucket masters began to rig the lift bags in preparation to float them back to the boat.
The first bucket to launch was the one at 80 feet, it was mostly full of fishing line. The bucket on the ledge was a different story. I watched as Jerrit attached a 100-pound lift bag and a second 50-pound bag and filled them both with air. When I saw both bags fully inflated and the bucket wasn’t moving, I knew we had a heavy one! Luckily, I had brought an extra 100-pound float bag with me as a backup. I hooked up the backup bag and inflated it, thankfully this was enough to make the bucket neutrally buoyant.
About 15 minutes later we were back on the surface waiting for the Na Makana to pick us up. It took three of us to heave the second bucket up on the deck of the boat. I was really curious to find out how much this one weighed!
As always, the ride back to the beach park was full of laughter and talk story of the fun and adventures we had on the dive. After we moored the vessel at the boat launch, we offloaded all the gear and buckets. I was very grateful to find that Chris happened to have a hand truck in the back of his car, otherwise, I am not sure how we would have moved this lead off the boat slip.
We spread out a tarp and set up the site to separate the rubbish for disposal. The first bucket weighed 59.8 pounds and contained an approximate 1,000 yards of fishing line. The second bucket, which was entirely full of lead, weighed a whopping 164.4 pounds!
It was a successful trip and a great way to end 2024 with Ocean Defenders Alliance. I’m excited and looking forward to what 2025 has to offer and some of the new clean up opportunities in which we will be taking part!
Will you join Gary and the other dedicated volunteers in defending ocean wildlife and their habitats from the ravages of abandoned fishing gear?
Ocean Defenders Alliance Crew with their "Catch of the Day"!
Great! You can help from where you are with a donation or if you live in Oahu you can apply to join our crew. We thank you and look forward to partnering with you!
