By Volunteer and ODA Advisory Board Member Marjorie Zensen
As we headed out to sea on June 5th on our still-new-to-us boat Makau, I was in the “lookout seat” above the boat’s cabin with a great view of the ocean, searching for debris. What a view!
Here's an example of the lookout seat, modeled by my husband Mark England when the boat was out of the water:
Off-shore birds were all around us, hunting for fish. Skipjack tunas were jumping and splashing. Even a frigate bird joined in and soon had a fish in mouth. All as it should be and it was wonderful to see the ocean alive, active, and teeming with life.
Thanks to our motley crew that joined me today: Mark England, Henry Gallagher, John Gallagher, Milo Giorgio, and Sarah Milisen.
Little did we know, Milo was chatting with other captains at the boat ramp this morning and told them ODA was going offshore looking for debris. Soon after we launched, Milo received a call with a report of debris closer to the shoreline, so we changed our course and headed up the coast. The debris was obvious and shocking! As we pulled up for a closer look I could see down to the bottom at about 35 feet. A fuel line, about 5 inches in diameter, floated at the surface and then dropped to the ocean floor. A full loop of hose line just waiting to do some damage to the corals or wildlife.
Milo jumped in to investigate and soon determined that it was not attached to anything, so Mark and Henry began pulling the slimy, slippery hose on board while I tried to use my feet and legs to prevent it from sliding back in the ocean.
John was able to secure some cool shots while our fearless leader, Sarah, kept the boat and its occupants safe. After some time, all the fuel line was on deck, taking up every spare inch! 100 feet of fuel line! Not only that but we discovered a fishing line with a huge, barbed hook tangled in the hose line! NOT good!
As the excitement calmed, we geared up to head back out to sea to find more floating debris. The rest of the morning brought us some more items such as a thick 4-foot-long rope from a large vessel, pieces of fishing net, a chunk from a plastic crate, a leaf … oh wait, never mind, a Styrofoam tray and several water bottles! Sarah even spotted a … nope, that’s a bird resting, miles from shore! Let’s keep looking! Milo did jump in another time or two to retrieve a pesky water bottle and other small debris. It’s ok to safely do that or lean over the edge of the boat to grab debris but… what we really need is a net on a telescopic pole! Yep! That would make it easier!
Each time the boat is out we have a learning experience. And every single time a different story is being written! However, what stood out for me today was how well the boat performed and as always, how the team pulled together. Everyone is finding their place.
Was our mission accomplished? Yes, it was. We did what needed to be done today with the help of not only the crew but also other boaters who were happy to report findings to us so that we could remove the debris from the ocean. Community. Well done.
HOWEVER, who wants to purchase us a net with a long telescopic pole?
We will be scheduling these cleanup dive trips or offshore debris outings on a weekly basis as we ramp up! If you're interested in being one of our boat crew, email us!
