Rewarding clean-up dive for Fujairah Sea

Did you know that every year, millions of sea turtles, dolphins, porpoises, whales, and many other marine mammals die from entanglement and ingestion of plastic and other harmful marine debris? Seabirds are also one of the top victims of marine pollution especially those that dive into the ocean to catch fish and other food. Once these animals ingest plastic, it creates an obstruction in their digestive tract and damages their internal organs. The culprit behind marine animal casualties is the people who directly or indirectly dispose of plastic and other garbage in our oceans, seas, rivers, and other waterways.  

Nemo Diving Center believes that we all have a universal responsibility to this generation and future generations to protect and conserve our marine natural resources that’s why we constantly empower our divers to look after the underwater world. In line with this core value, we recently teamed up with Marriott Group to help clean-up the Fujairah Sea.

Last August 29, 2018, a total of 23 volunteers, composed of male and female divers gathered that morning for the Clean-up Day for Fujairah Sea and boarded two yachts going to the dive sites. Members of Marriott International and Nemo Diving Center together with certified divers and Discovery Scuba divers from different hotels (JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Le Royal Meridien, Sheraton JBR, Renaissance, Aloft Dubai, Bulgari, Lapita, and Al Forsan) joined forces for this environmental pursuit.

Everyone was in high spirits en route to the diving sites! It was great to see people smiling, sharing stories and making jokes. Diving for a cause has never been as fun and exciting as this.

With a unified goal of preserving the beauty of the ocean, our extraordinary volunteers geared up to come to its aid. The certified divers eagerly joined the fight against marine trash by going on two dives at different sites. The excitement was also very evident on the faces of the Discovery Scuba Divers as they made their very first descent beneath the waves.

Together, we worked as a team to search the Fujairah waters for garbage and harmful debris and as a result, we came across all sorts of plastic items, fishing nets, abandoned fishing gear, and rusted metals that pose an imminent danger to marine creatures. We placed the assorted garbage in our sacks and brought the rubbish back to the surface to dispose of them properly and make sure that they do not find their way back to the ocean.

You’ve probably heard of the story of the poor turtle getting stuck in the plastic ring of a six-pack holder that someone disposed of carelessly in the water or the dolphin trapped by abandoned fishing nets. Sadly, there are countless stories of aquatic creatures getting injured or dying because of garbage in different parts of the world.

By helping remove some of the dangerous floating debris in the water, we were able to prevent marine creatures such as turtles from mistaking a plastic bag as jellyfish and chomping on it. We also prevented fish and other creatures from ingesting garbage and getting entangled from the discarded fishing nets.

It was truly a rewarding experience for all the divers especially for the Discovery Scuba Divers because their very first dive allowed them to witness the stunning underwater world of Fujairah and at the same time contribute to its conservation.  Our divers expressed that it was a great privilege to help improve the health of the Fujairah Sea and protect marine lives.

The clean-up activity is our way of protecting the Fujairah Sea from marine pollution and encouraging people to stop being part of the problem and start becoming part of the solution. As divers, we have the special opportunity to descend beneath the surface of the ocean and immerse ourselves in the stunning beauty of the underwater world. At the same time, we also find ourselves directly in the path of pollutants that threaten our ocean’s ecosystems. Along with that, we are given a chance to become sustainable divers and make a positive difference to the environment by keeping our waters clean.

The dive against marine pollution was also a perfect team-building activity because it did not just bring us closer to one another but it also enhanced our communication skills and problem-solving abilities. Planning our dives, thinking of different strategies, and coordinating our actions with one another paved the way for camaraderie, collaboration and genuine connections.  

Nemo Diving Center is grateful for the success of the Clean-up the Fujairah Sea activity and we would like to thank everyone who participated in this environmental undertaking. We really appreciate that you took time from your busy lives to support us in our quest to fight ocean pollution. We admire your strong passion for ocean conservation and your willingness to help protect the beautiful local reefs for future generations. Thank you for being our co-stewards for Mother Earth!

May you continue to show the same energy and effort to conserve the health of the oceans in your own countries, hometowns, and wherever you travel. We also encourage you to share this experience with others to make more people aware of the plight of our oceans and how they can help clean our waterways. Developing an attitude that fosters the love for all the things that Mother Earth provides us is the ultimate call of action that can ensure us of a bright future.

We are convinced that every little help counts in creating a clean and healthy ocean that’s why we urge everyone to support future clean-up drives to protect marine life and promote marine environmental sustainability.