Divers mark World Oceans Day with Subic Bay cleanup

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Thirty-six Filipino and foreign scuba divers celebrated World Oceans Day and the country’s Celebrate the Sea Day on Saturday by collecting underwater garbage in Subic Bay.

The volunteer divers kicked off a “Scubasurero” project organized by a local beach resort here to raise awareness about the protection of the seas.

Carrying trash bags, the divers who were mostly members of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) plunged into the waters off Camayan Beach at 9 a.m.

James Arbizo, general manager of Camayan Beach Resort, said their underwater clean-up project aims to teach guests and volunteer divers about the diversity of marine life.

Small step

“This might be a small step but we want to reach out to a lot of people and [illustrate that] the seas are a part of our existence,” Arbizo said.

Diving instructor Juanito Soriano said they invited professional and amateur scuba divers to form a group of volunteers that will support sustained underwater clean-up operations.

“It’s normal for divers like us to collect garbage that we see when we dive. So if we come together for this particular purpose, underwater cleanup will be a lot easier,” Soriano said.

Soriano said the volunteer drivers were divided into five groups to cover several areas of Subic Bay, including the Camayan Beach Sandbar, the Quay Wall and the El Kapitan coral area.