Divers clean up reef beneath pier
Ninety-seven divers plunged beneath thewaves in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea on Saturday in search of trash on the ocean floor.
As part of the Anglin’s Pier Underwater Cleanup, divers plucked up mounds of tangled monofilament, hooks, sinkers and knives from the coral reef at the south side of the pier, sending the material to the surface in white buckets and avoiding anglers fishing on the north side, according to Steve d’Oliveira, a spokesman for the city.
Participants were instructed not to bring anything to the surface with significant coral growth, he said.
“It’s always good for the reef, because when the anglers are fishing, hooks get caught on the reef and build up over time,” d’Oliveira said. “It keeps the reef cleaner and benefits the environment because it keeps too much debris from piling up under the pier.”
Along with fishing gear, Divers also found cellphones, fishing poles and a set of car keys for a Mercedes, he said.
Volunteers working on the pier hauled up the buckets once they were filled and removed the lead weight sinkers, which the pier repurposes for sale in its tackle shop.
The trash was later hauled away by the town.
Amongthe divers volunteering were LauderdalebyMayor Scot Sasser and his son, Jake.
The event was sponsored by Gold Coast Scuba and PADI’s Project Aware, and was also supported by Reef Safe sun care products, the Town of Lauderdaleand Sherwood Scuba, he said.
Gold Coast sponsors about three per year.
Volunteers received Tshirts and enjoyed barbecue and beer later at the Surf& Yacht Club in town.
The next pier cleanup is during BugFest-by-the-Sea on July 29. pier cleanups
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