One of the most common things we teenagers hear from our parents is “Clean your room!” and “Pick up your stuff!” And let’s be honest, we suddenly have hearing problems and a million other priorities…
But when it comes to cleaning up underwater, it’s a different story. My name is Julia. I am a 15 year old PADI AmbassaDiver and a Junior Master Scuba Diver.
A few months ago I had the idea to gather young divers to dive with a purpose. After all, it’s never too early to start. After 7 years of scuba diving in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, seeing trash floating or stuck underwater and noticing more and more kids being certified, I thought: how cool would it be to join forces and do something good for the ocean!
I created a logo, found a great printer shop and Bubbles of Hope was born.
It’s not always easy to find the right day to accommodate everyone but also not impossible. Partnering with local dive centers is much easier and I am so grateful for that!
Scuba Junkie immediately accepted to jump on board and hosted our 6th reef cleanup last month.
There were 7 of us meeting up at Jesselton by 8am (yes, teens can wake up early during the weekend for a good cause!) and off we go, wearing our Bubbles of Hope t-shirts! Everyone is chatting and excited, the sun is shining brightly and with Awie and Jason, I know we are in good hands. Briefing, gearing up, mesh bags ready, one by one we are back rolling into Sapi House reef.
Split in 2 groups we worked together, keeping our buoyancy in control and helping each other out and had a pretty bitter-sweet outcome. Very sad to have seen so much trash but glad that we were able to get 3 and a half large mesh bags of rubbish out of there!
We used our surface interval to head to an occupied beach where we got to work on the mounds upon mounds of plastic bottles, food packagings and polystyrene that had washed up on the beach and in the vegetation. Led by our 2 dive masters we created an organized system to collect, crush and bag up as much trash as we could, and despite the time and limited workforce, we were able to get 16 bags of rubbish off that beach! We even had the unexpected help from a nice couple who were chilling with their own boat and were happy to give a hand. I hope the macaque who was watching us from afar appreciated our collective efforts. Of course, there was still a lot left so we’ll be back! Then we headed to Gaya Island, where we took a break from pollution to go on a fun dive and enjoy the beauty of the park we are working so hard to preserve! Cameras were out and lots of vibrant, colourful coral and fish were spotted.
Exhausted but satisfied with our work for the day, we headed to the other side of the island for a delicious, well deserved lunch followed by a peculiar competition of sand balls and leisure swims in the warm, tropical waters.
It was a very productive day and it’s so promising to see such interest and dedication reflected in this group.
So yes, we might not be the champions of cleaning our bedrooms but I can tell, we did a pretty good job with Scuba Junkie! And it’s just the beginning…
Please get involved! If you are/know any PADI certified teen divers (10-17 years old) who might be interested to join, don’t hesitate to contact me for more details on:
Instagram: @julia_into_the_blue
Facebook: Seed of Hope
Email: juliaintotheblue@gmail.com
If you aren’t a diver, then please show your support to our efforts by checking out the social media handles or spreading the word about this project. The more people we have, the bigger difference we can make!
I hope to see you underwater! Keep diving and happy bubbles! Julia
