Marina underwater cleaning produces trash and old technology

On Saturday morning, Annie Crawley and her scuba diving team dove again under the mooring floats of boats at Edmonds Marina to clean up and bring to the surface the plethora of underwater debris that has accumulated at the over the years. The project involved sectioning just north of Anthony’s home port under the M to Q float, and monitoring their efforts in April under the docks just south of these.

If you’ve ever dropped anything in water, from a cell phone to a screwdriver to a chair, you know how maddening it is – you just have to say goodbye. Much of it has been there for decades, and divers have lifted objects that many young people just didn’t recognize. It’s like a time capsule.

“What is a walkman? Asked a volunteer in his twenties. “Is it some kind of pedometer or something?” “

Despite a few of these “treasures”, most of the waste collected consisted of hoses and bottles, which led a young diver to note that boaters have to “squirt and drink a lot”.

These bi-annual marina cleanups are a team effort of members of Our ocean and you, a group led by Crawley and formed to help people understand how our lives are interconnected with the sea. Membership is open to anyone. Just visit the registration page to learn more.

“You don’t have to be a diver to be part of the group,” Crawley explained. “All you have to do is agree to be a voice for the ocean.”

– Story and photos by Larry Vogel