At Crystal Lake In Ellington, Vacuums Battle Aquatic Weeds

Crystal Lake appears as pristine as its name, at least on the surface.

But down below is where the milfoil lies -- a slimy and insidious aquatic invader residents here are battling to root out.

The Crystal Lake Association, a group of residents dedicated to preserving the lake, is taking action, with the help of $67,000 the town has put up for an anti-milfoil campaign. Milfoil can cause problems for boating and fishing, even swimming.

"We want our lake," said Jean Burns, a Crystal Lake Association Member and lakefront homeowner. "We want the resource to stay."

Native to Europe and Asia, milfoil is a freshwater weed that is an unwelcome presence in Connecticut from Candlewood Lake in the western part of the state to Crystal Lake in the East. The plant is believed to be transported between lakes and ponds by boat trailers and waterfowl.

The effort to get rid of the milfoil got underway today...[Link]

Divers salvage tires in failed artificial reef

Military divers returned to Fort Lauderdale this week to resume the job of salvaging hundreds of thousands of tires dumped offshore in the early 1970s in a failed attempt to create an artificial reef.

About 30 Army and Navy divers worked about a mile and a half off the beach at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park on Friday to haul tires off the ocean floor and collect them on the Army assault vessel Brandy Station. The day's catch: About 1,400 tires.

It is the third year of a project created to address a difficult environmental problem and provide a training opportunity for divers who need to accumulate hours below the surface. And while this may not be as challenging as clearing mines in advance of a beach assault, it is a massive task that will take years to complete.

Up to 2 million tires had been tied into bundles and shoved into the ocean in an attempt to create undersea structures that would support marine life and attract fish for people to catch. But many of the tires broke loose and actually damaged coral reefs...[Link]

Update - Subway car artificial reef program discontinued

A New Jersey program using subway cars to build artificial reefs has now been discontinued when it was discovered that the cars weren't holding up as expected.

According to an article in the Press of Atlantic City, the operation was originally suspended in February because the stainless steel cars were disintegrating after only seven months in the ocean.

Darlene Yuhas, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, told the Press that a survey of the 48 cars submerged at the Atlantic City Reef revealed that only two of them remained intact and upright.

"All the evidence suggested they would be long-lasting. In fact, the EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] data was these cars should last 25 years," Yuhas said...[Link]

Coast Guard, NOAA, Army divers pull tons of trash off reefs

A fishing trip of sorts has resulted in a huge catch for agencies working to preserve coral reefs.
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On a three-week mission to Maro Reef, Kure and Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Army 7th Engineer Dive Team pulled more than 32 metric tons of debris off coral reefs.

The debris, primarily fishing nets, was brought back to Honolulu yesterday and put on display this morning at the Coast Guard station on Sand Island.

"It was a great effort by all the people involved," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Jeffrey Randall, commanding officer of the Walnut.

Randall said NOAA mapped the sites to be cleared, Army divers bagged the trash and the 225-foot Walnut provided the heavy crane for lifting the debris and deck space for containers in which the debris was stored...[Link]

A dive to help the reefs includes a rock star

Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry focused on combing ocean reefs for trash instead of perfecting guitar riffs Saturday.

The musician was not alone -- he was accompanied by his wife, Billie Perry, and about 85 other divers who dedicated the day to scooping up trash left in the waters off Lido and Longboat keys.

The Perrys, who have a second home on Longboat Key, found themselves with extra time this weekend after an Aerosmith concert in Tampa was canceled because lead singer Steven Tyler has an injured leg.

The pair read an article about the cleanup in a local magazine and decided to put their 25 years of diving experience to work for a noble cause...[Link]

Divers get up close, personal with milfoil

Decked out in diver’s gear, Glenn Edwards submerged for a search-and-destroy mission Friday. His target: Eurasian milfoil.

The invasive aquatic weed has gained a toehold in the St. Joe River, a tributary of Lake Coeur d’Alene. To keep the milfoil from invading new territory downstream, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe hired divers to suction it off the river bottom.

“We don’t want it spreading northward into the lake,” said Dave Lamb, the tribe’s lake ecologist.

Earlier this month, the tribe sprayed 100 acres of southern Lake Coeur d’Alene with an aquatic herbicide, 2, 4-D. The herbicide effectively combats milfoil where it forms thick mats of floating vegetation. But it’s less practical for fighting smaller pockets of the weed in flowing waters.

That’s where the divers come in. They’ll scout the river bottom, and part of the St. Maries River, canvassing the area twice over a 40-day period...[Link]

Underwater cleanup needs helpers

Scuba divers, boat captains,and other volunteers are needed to participate in an underwater clean up of Sebastian Inlet on July 18 and in Ft Pierce Inlet on July 25.

Kayakers are needed to man kayaks sponsored by Kayaks Etc and Tropical Kayak Tours in Sebastian and Vero Beach.

A removal of derelict crab traps will take place on July 18 in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge and anyone with a boat interested in helping haul traps to shore is asked to contact us.

Abandoned crap traps and other discarded fishing equipment continues to kill wild life and is known as "ghost fishing" One trap removed in 2007 contained at least 25 trapped species...[Link]

Scuba enthusiasts combine a good deed with a chance to dive

The crystal surface of Lake Tahoe belies what's beneath: a hodgepodge of keys dropped from pockets, rusted pieces of metal from boats and, inexplicably, even a saute pan that turned shades of submerged blue and brown.

A small group of Sacramento-area scuba divers spent Sunday at Hurricane Beach, on the west shore, collecting underwater trash.

"It's out of sight, out of mind," said John Day, 42, of Cameron Park. "People think (garbage) just goes to that magic disposal spot in the sky."

The divers pulled on their gear, attaching net bags for the refuse. But mainly, the good deed was an excuse to get in the water.

"Boy, that sounds like fun, I'm going," Mike Massengale, 48, of South Lake Tahoe, said he thought when he saw the event in a newsletter. "I love the serenity of being under the water. It's as close to flying as a human can get."

Massengale hates seeing litter when he's underwater, but he doesn't begrudge its former owners...[SacramentoBee]

Taking a stake in Dane County lakes

Some local scuba divers are giving back to the lakes the only way they know how: by cleaning trash off the bottom.

It's all part of the 22 annual Take a Stake in the Lakes. That's a series of events to help clean up and appreciate Dane county's lakes. The event featured scuba divers skimming the bottom of lake Monona.

Along with beauty, it also helps out the fish down below.

Joann Hoffman, the Scuba coordinator, says, "It's just not good for them to have rusting cans, rusting barrels down there. Tarps covering the bottom so that the natural environment can't do what it's supposed to do."...[WKOWTV.com]

Divers give Cardiff Bay’s waterways a really deep clean

No, it's not a monster emerging from the deep but a police diver helping to clean up Cardiff Bay’s waterways.

The specialist search team of six South Wales Police officers and their sergeant are taking part in a two-week operation to improve the state of the canal in Atlantic Wharf.

As well as removing a thick layer of green surface scum, the divers found an old tyre, a wellington boot and pieces of board in the depths.

The clean-up, which also involves Cardiff council, cutting back hedges and weeding, follows concerns from residents about rubbish levels. The probation service community payback team took away all the rubbish from the canal, and will do so twice a year to keep the area tidy.

Police Community Support Officer recruit Jeff Hughes organised the clean-up, which will also include railing painting and footpath clearing within the next six weeks.

Jeff, who first started work in Cardiff Bay back in March, said: “When I first became a PCSO in the area I was walking around the canal on patrol getting to know my patch and I thought it was such a beautiful area that was in some desperate need of some tender loving care.”...[WalesOnline]

Diver leads effort to rid Honolulu Harbor of junk

Diver Robin Bond Jr. has seen all kinds of junk at the bottom of Honolulu Harbor. Air conditioners, car batteries, mopeds and bicycles. Even a freezer, a forklift and a handgun.

"It's a huge underwater dump," Bond said.

And he's determined to change that.

The operations manager at Wikoliana Educational Excursions at Pier 7 is spearheading a pilot program to kick off later this month that will salvage decades worth of items dumped in the harbor. Whatever is salvaged will be recycled and proceeds will be donated to schools helping the program, believed to be the first of its kind in Hawai'i.

State officials and businesses are already supporting the program, and Bond hopes that he'll be able to expand the cleanup along the length of the harbor. He also plans to eventually use one of the vessels being fitted for his company to salvage junk farther out in the harbor.

"There's definitely an environmental need for us to be proactive," said Bond.

He said he's most concerned about the environmental effects of car batteries and other toxic materials...[HonoluluAdvertiser]

WWII German bomb found at Munxar Reef

Army divers recently raised a German Luftwaffe bomb from the Munxar Reef off Marsascala at a depth of 12 metres, after information was provided by some civilian divers.

An EOD diving team from the AFM's Ammunition and Explosives Company of 3 Regiment was sent to investigate. The munition was a Sprengbombe Cylindrich (SC) 1000 general demolition bomb.

The bomb weighed one ton and was 100 inches long with its tail attachment. It was among one of the largest bombs in the Luftwaffe's arsenal, used to great effect in all theatres of conflict during WWII.

In the recovery operation, the bomb was slung and attached to a gradual-release air-lifting bag. Once the bag surfaced, it was replaced by four 45-gallon drums, and after the bomb was rendered safe it was towed further out to sea by an AFM Maritime Squadron patrol-boat for disposal...[TimesofMalta]

Local scuba divers jump in to cleanup lake

Local divers helped clean out Anchorage lakes Sunday.

Eight scuba divers jumped in to remove junk out of DeLong Lake. Divers say they find all kinds of garbage from beer cans to lawn chairs to pans.

"We'll do a pattern weaving back and forth -- we can't possibly do the whole lake, it would take too long," said Jerry Vandergriff with Alaska Underwater Adventures. "We'll spend about two hours and get as much of this stuff as we can."...[KTUU.com]

Diver recovers sunken sled from lake

In the immortal words of Bob Einstein, the comedian that made Super Dave Osborne a household name, "don't try this at home, kids."

An end of the season snowmobile ride on Bathurst Lake in Mount Carleton Provincial Park several weeks ago resulted in one submerged sled, a challenging dive for the diver tasked to fish the machine out of the icy water, and a hefty bill for the insurance company.

Danny Trites of Red Rapids, a professional diver, was asked to retrieve a Yamaha snowmobile sitting on the bottom of the lake after the machine broke through thin ice. The Fredericton area resident riding the snowmobile managed to extricate himself from the sinking sled, but couldn't save his machine, which quickly submerged.

"Evidently they (several snowmobilers) were playing on the ice and some open spots on the water and they were skipping between the ice and the water. The snowmobiler reported the incident and park officials asked me to come up and see if I could get the machine out," Trites told the Victoria Star. "Environment was worried about contamination."

The strong current and eroding surface ice made the recovery a dangerous dive, but the diver said with additional weight to keep him under the surface he was able to find the 2006 Yamaha. Trites had to turn the machine around because it was heading away from shore and hook some chains to a waiting tractor on shore.

"They took a few pictures of me sitting on the sled as it was being hauled out of the water," the diver commented...[Bugle-Observer]

Catalina Chamber Day is May 6; scuba divers needed

When asked about the importance of maintaining the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber at the island's Two Harbors area, dive master Ken Kurtis said, "The chamber provides a vital safety net for divers, and, to put it bluntly, without it people would die."

The chamber, which is used to treat various scuba-diving-related ailments, is funded largely by donations. The annual Chamber Day, chaired by Kurtis, is a primary fundraiser.

This year's Chamber Day and Chamber Evening (a separate event at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach), is May 6. Cost is $90 for two dives, plus $30 for food and tank refills. Cost for the Chamber Evening dinner is $90, which includes a private tour of the aquarium and five raffle tickets...[LATimes]

Dana Point Harbor to Hold Inaugural Underwater Cleanup, May 2

Boaters and locals are invited to head down to the harbor and watch as debris is plucked from the ocean bottom during the inaugural Dana Point Harbor Underwater Cleanup May 2 -- from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Certified divers will retrieve both common and unusual debris that somehow made its way into the harbor during the six-hour event. Volunteers will focus on removing potential contaminants around and under the East Basin docks.

The cleanup is a preventative measure to properly dispose of items that may negatively affect the harbor’s water quality, organizers said.

“This inaugural Underwater Cleanup event is an important effort to improve water quality, and is evident of OC Dana Point Harbor’s long-standing commitment to enhancing the harbor while maintaining environmental integrity,” stated Harbor Director Brad Gross.

For more information, call Dana Point Marina Co. at (949) 496-6137...[TheLog.com]

Divers remove dangerous illegal net

A FISHING net which almost killed a diver four months ago has been cleared up by Plymouth Sound Diving Club.

Seven members of the club dived to the seabed off West Hoe on Friday evening before bringing the net back to the surface.

The net had been highlighted as a threat to human and marine life but though it was discovered back in January, its removal was delayed by confusion over which agency was responsible for doing the work.

Keith Hiscock, chairman of PSDC, said the operation had to be done for the safety of divers in the area.

"They went down and cut the net into liftable sections before putting a lifting bag on each section, and then they sent them up," he said...[TheHerald]

Divers down, trash up

The craggy bottom of Possum Kingdom Lake inside Hell’s Gate is a little cleaner today, thanks to the efforts Sunday of dozens of scuba divers.

Fortunately for the members of Scuba International, based in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton, after another summer and Fourth of July celebration, they will have a reason to come out again next year to try and collect beer and soda cans, bottles and find a few things they might want to keep like a nice pair of shades.

Thirty-nine divers and 12 above-water helpers in seven boats descended on a windy and chilly PK Lake Sunday for an Earth Day collection of lake debris as part of Project AWARE (www.projectaware.org). This year was the second for the Metroplex group to come to the lake for a clean-up project.

It was an opportunity for a group of like-minded, water-loving people to spend a day doing what they like to do while trying to help protect and preserve water resources.

“It was a little chilly but I had a good time and hopefully helped out a little bit,” said diver Craig King of Dallas, who was one of the last out of the lake Sunday...[MineralWellsIndex.com]

Litterpickers launch underwater effort!

Divers from the Reefers and Wreckers diver training facility in Clitheroe decided they would give Mother Earth some attention on Mothers' Day by holding a clean-up day at Devil's Bridge, Kirkby Lonsdale.

The group of a dozen divers and four surface support, one of whom was the centre owner's baby daughter, Milana, wanted to raise awareness to the ever-increasing problem of the rubbish both above and below the water.

The event was supported by Project Aware Foundation, which strives to educate people about the delicate state that the earth is in and what the human race is able to do about it.

The divers managed to raise £88 for Project Aware through raffle ticket sales, with the lucky winner walking away with a box set of Jacque Cousteau DVDs donated by Reefers and Wreckers...[TheClitheroeAdvertiserandTimes]

MDA will host underwater reef cleanup on April 25

The Micronesian Divers Association will host a reef cleanup dive on April 25, according to the association’s online newsletter.

Divers will enjoy a one-tank boat dive while collecting trash off of the reef. Bags and gloves will be provided.

The dive only costs $5 and the money is refunded after the dive the newsletter said.

Call 472-6321 to sign up or visit the MDA dive shop in Piti. Space is limited...[Guampdn.com]

Repairing underwater vandalism

Some 80 feet underwater and 700 feet into the bowels of a spring in Lafayette County, they've combined art and science to restore a cave that vandals damaged last year.

Those who worked for months on the project say it's the first known successful underwater cave restoration, and it took place in late December at Cow Springs, a small, remote spring off State Road 51 near Luraville, north of the town of Mayo.

To achieve the restoration, they enlisted the help of Michael Angelo Gagliardi, professional artist and actor from Chicago, who led a team of divers to document the restoration of the spring's vandalized clay bank.

"I happily volunteered my time and money for this project," Gagliardi said. "But it wouldn't have been done properly without the help of my dive team."...[Ocala.com]

Patrolling the Deep

It is common to see a policeman patrolling the streets, directing traffic, even chasing after criminals and arresting lawless elements. But to find a policeman underwater?

It is indeed unusual to find our policemen in the deep sea, diving for trash. But Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa, an avid diver, made this happen through the Scubasurero project.

“There is a dramatic increase in pollution, particularly in the seas. Because of that, I initiated some environmental advocacies like our project Scubasurero,” says Verzosa, who chose the catchy name Scubasurero from the terms scuba diver and basurero or garbage collector.

“The Scubasurero project is our modest contribution to protecting the natural environment,” he adds.

The Scubasurero program focuses on the clean up of sea beds and shore lines. It also includes lectures on the importance of preserving the environment in a bid to involve the community in coastal clean up and preservation...[PhisStar.com]

Scuba Divers find mystery cable in River Leam

Divers have found the mystery cable in the River Leam among mud and discarded objects in its murky waters.
A team from Leamington and Warwick Sub Aqua Club entered the cold water on Saturday and spent several hours searching the riverbed before finding a 50-metre section of the line, which was around 25mm in diameter.

This could finally solve the mystery of the cable's use and origins, which has caused various readers to contact the Courier with their theories.

Senior instructor Andy Hay described the difficult and uncomfortable task.

He said: "I had zero visibility and only my imagination to assist in identifying the objects my frozen fingers touched...[TheCourier]

Cement spill threatens Racha reef

A barge loaded with building materials almost capsized in Phlap Phla Bay off Racha Yai island early Thursday afternoon, causing the captain to offload 30 sacks of cement into the sea over an artificial coral reef.

Paitoon Praechaiyaphum of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department Region 5 office, who has visited the site, said that officials were mounting a clean-up operation but that some of the coral reef had begun to turn white and die.

Divers who surveyed the site found 10 sacks of cement in the water, as well as cement powder and stones covering the reef, he said.

Mr Paitoon said the barge operator was using the craft to store building materials for construction projects in Siam Bay. A large wave hit the barge, causing it to list and allowing water to soak the sacks of cement, he added.

Fearing the barge would sink, the crew on board used a backhoe to scoop up 30 sacks of cement and drop them into the sea over the reef, making it easier to pump the water out of the hull.

After visiting the site, researcher Lalida Patchim of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said an initial inspection of the area showed that there were bags of cement around the reef...[PhuketGazette]

River Derwent clean-up

Tasmanians are being urged to think about the impact littering has on the marine environment. A clean-up of part of the River Derwent near Princes Wharf yesterday was organised by the Environment Department and the Tasmanian Scuba Diving Club.

Items found ranged from cigarette butts, car parts and metals to chairs and a bicycle.

Carinda Rue from the Environment Department says people don't think about the affect littering has on marine life. "Plastics do last a long time in the environment a lot of plastics do pose a significant risk to marine life through choking and swallowing, a lot of the plastics do look like food that a lot of our marine life would normally ingest," she said...[ABC]