SCUBAHUB
Gill and Samantha with their‘ haul’
L-R: Local volunteer Gill Gordon, club Chair Laura Brind and Marine Champion Samantha Cooper
Cayman can-do clean-up
AN INCREDIBLE 28 BIN BAGS OF discarded polystyrene have been removed from a local beach beauty spot by members of Cayman Islands Divers.
Organised by the club’ s BSAC Marine Champion, Samantha Cooper, the clean-up at Spotters Bay came after a makeshift raft carrying Cuban migrants broke up on the shore earlier this year. The smashed raft resulted in large amounts of polystyrene debris along the coastline that was in danger of being washed back into the ocean.
The metal remains of the broken up raft
Following careful planning due to the remote nature of the beach, Samantha and Cayman Islands Divers’ Chair Laura Brind along with local resident Gill Gordon were eventually able to conduct their beach clean last month.
As one of the first BSAC members to sign up as a Marine Champion when the initiative was launched back in August, Samantha saw the beach clean as an ideal marine clean-up project for her club.
“ This was a project I wanted to do as soon as I heard about it,” said Samantha.“ We suggested it to Plastic Free Cayman, but the site wasn’ t accessible enough to be one of their beach cleans. So we decided to take it on.”
The team spent a full morning cleaning up the debris, resulting in 28 full bags of waste polystyrene. However, Samantha estimates that their impressive haul was only around 40 % of the debris on the beach.
“ We are planning to go back in the near future as we don’ t want to leave the rest there. As well as the polystyrene, we also hope to be able to dismantle and remove the raft’ s metal frame, if we can get additional help.
“ Marine litter is a real problem, especially in the east end of the island. It makes me so sad because Cayman is such a beautiful place with an amazing marine environment.”
As Cayman Islands Divers Marine Champion, Samantha is now aiming to organise a monthly activity to engage her club members in marine conservation.
“ Seeing the negative human impact on the ocean ecosystem and coastal environments is heartbreaking, which is why I took on the Marine Champion role. I hope through our club activities we can raise awareness, help to educate the community and repair some of the damage.”
For more information on becoming a BSAC Marine Champion for your club, go to bsac. com / marinechampions
Milton Keynes invites you to The Blue Lagoon
MILTON KEYNES SAC( MKSAC) IS SET to mark its golden anniversary by inviting 50 BSAC clubs to dive in their very own lake,‘ The Blue Lagoon’.
‘ One Lake, 50 Clubs’ is MKSAC’ s year-long celebration of its 50th milestone, during which they aim to host 50 other clubs for a dive in their home lake site, near Bletchley.
Each visiting club will have the opportunity to enjoy the lake’ s underwater features,
meet fellow divers, and share in the spirit of camaraderie that defines BSAC.
“ Our club has been built on friendship, adventure and a shared love of the underwater world,” said Graham Nurse, MKSAC’ s Diving Officer.“ Reaching our 50th anniversary feels like the perfect time to open our doors and celebrate with divers from across the country.” The Blue Lagoon is a lake in a nature reserve offering depths up to 18m and a range of training platforms and attractions – including a bus, boats and a small plane. Whether it’ s for training, exploration, or simply a social dive day, visiting clubs will be welcomed by Milton Keynes members and shown what makes the club – and lake – special.
The‘ One Lake, 50 Clubs’ programme will run throughout 2026, with spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details, including how to register your club’ s interest, go to www. mksac. co. uk / 50years
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