After a couple of years, the Deerfield Beach Pier cleanup dive sponsored by DXDivers was back. We were happy to be here to participate and this year DRYFOB was even part of the draw prizes. Very cool.
Once a year the pier is closed to fishing and divers have it to themselves. This is a special event as by usual Florida law, scuba diving cannot be done within 500ft of a pier. A rare treat, divers come from far and wide to partake. This year’s dive had over 300 divers.
While much of the two-hour dive was spent collecting hooks and lead weight, we managed to see a lot of sea life. Blennies peeking out, a couple of sleeping nurse sharks, a southern stingray, jacks, and huge schools of snook. Even a few huge tarpons drifted by to have a look at the commotion. A highlight was to shake hands with a friendly octopus!
It’s not just divers that can participate, everyone is welcome. People hang buckets off the pier into the water for the divers to drop in their collection of trash. This works out well because after a while we must have had 10-15 pounds of lead weights and that starts dragging you down.
While the overall count is still pending in terms of how much trash was collected, overall, we felt we did a good thing, and it was a good feeling to clean up for some of the resident creatures at the pier. A small payback for all the enjoyment we get from scuba diving.