On Saturday, September 21, 2002, there will be an underwater fishing line clean-up dive held at the Barcadera Dive Site on Bonaire. This clean-up dive is co-organized by Jake & Linda Richter of NetTech N.V. and Chris Armacost of Photo Tours Divers. The clean-up dive will be followed by a pot-luck BBQ (see below for what this means). Please note that by diving with us on this clean-up dive, you are taking full responsibility for yourself, because we take no responsibility for you or your actions. If this is not acceptable, please don't dive with us (we're Americans, so we need to get the legal stuff out of the way :-) ).

The dive itself is scheduled to start at 3:00pm, with two possible entries into the water:

• By boat, loading up at Photo Tours Divers at Caribbean Court at 2:30pm. Free tanks will be provided to those diving by boat, but a liability form at Photo Tours will need to be signed. Sorry - there are no more spots left on the boat (as of 10:22, Sept. 18). Chris and probably Linda will be leading this group of 12.
  
  
• By Shore, from Sabadeco Shores. This entry requires walking about 30 meters along a dirt path, another 30 meters on a concrete path, then down three flights of stairs, as well as more flat path, and down a ladder into the water from there. This is a challenging entry for those not in reasonable physical condition, as you need to do this all with a tank and weights on. Jake will be here to coordinate and provide a briefing. If you intend to do the shore dive, please arrive no later than 2:45pm so we have about 10 minutes for a briefing and can be entering the water starting at 3:00pm. Please note that you need to bring your own tanks for doing the shore dive.
  
  Shore Dive Entrance Directions to Barcadera: Drive north past the northern resorts (Buddy Dive, Habitat, etc.), through Hato and the residential area there. You will get to a 90 degree right turn inland. Take that turn, as well as the next one (left 90 degrees). Do so carefully. Follow the road along and you will soon see a dive marker (yellow rocks with text on them) for the Andrea II site on your left. From that point on, you will want to take your fourth left into the "Shores" area. Then take your second left into the cul-de-sac (dead end) for "Shores 24-28". There is a construction site at the left end of the cul-de-sac. Park anywhere available on the right. Wait until about 2:55pm (when everyone should be present), then gear up, and take the dirt path at right until you hit a concrete path. Follow that to the ladder. Watch your step - the bottom of the ladder is quite slippery. Click here for photo-based directions.
  If you intend on doing this dive by shore, also drop us a note at cleanup@bonairediving.com so we can get a rough count of people planning to join us.

This clean-up dive will focus primarily on fishing line and small trash (cans). There is quite a bit of fishing line in place at the Barcadera site.

We have about a dozen sets of Sea Snips (surgical scissors) which will loan out to clean-up divers, one pair per buddy team. One person in a team should be cutting and the other collecting the line, ideally in a cloth bag with a fine mesh so that the line doesn't slip out.

If you have your own scissors and cloth bags, please bring them (and let us know you will be doing so).

After the dive, please give your collected fishing line to us after the dive so we can properly log it. All participants will receive a certificate of appreciation courtesy of PADI Project AWARE at the Pot-Luck BBQ.

The Pot-Luck BBQ

Following the dive, there will be a pot-luck BBQ at Photo Tours Divers' area at Hamlet Oasis (just north of Habitat). We will provide BBQed chicken and refreshments (sodas, juice). For our non-American friends, a "pot-luck" is where everyone attending brings along a dish - perhaps a salad, a cassarole, dessert, sausages, beer, etc. - which are shared with everyone attending the pot-luck, just as the things everyone else brings are shared with you. We recommend whipping up something special you like to eat and which you would like to introduce others to as well. There is no charge for such a BBQ, of course. And there will be a grill available for anyone wishing to play chef.

The Pot-Luck BBQ will start at 5:30pm which should give people enough time to shower up at home, get their pot-luck contribution ready to go, and come back to have a "gezellig" (companionable) time!

Closing Comments

Please also note that this will be the first in an on-going series of regular underwater clean-ups to be held every two months around Bonaire.

We look forward to having you join us in cleaning up Bonaire!

Questions? Contact us at cleanup@bonairediving.com.

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