Volunteers needed beyond the beach for reef clean up

ON International Coastal Clean Up Day, 19 September, at 10am,  Durban North based organisations are going beyond the beach to collect plastic debris in the reef off Vetchies Beach in Durban. 

Volunteers who are keen to snorkel over the reef and collect debris are invited to sign up.

“You don’t have to have experience with snorkelling, as long as you can swim and feel comfortable in the water, you can join us. We will have some extra snorkels, but if they have their own, they must bring it. We are also going to do an educational beach walk at the same time for people who can’t go in the water and we will also do a beach clean up at the same time during the walk,” said Elzanne Marais, of Zebra Shark Adventures, which has partnered with Breathe Conservation to organise the clean-up.

Durban North resident, Sarah Ferguson, who is the CEO and founder of Breathe Conservation, said the clean-up would usually take place on a monthly basis if not for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also read: Lockdown level 2: Swimming is still prohibited as beaches open

“There are loads of beach clean-ups, both formal and informal, but no organised underwater clean-ups. We thought this would be a unique way to show people our incredible marine life as well as clean up the ocean. People would then see first hand how litter is impacting marine life by seeing the packets and fishing line stuck on the coral and suffocating our marine life,” she said.

It is important not to damage the reef when removing plastic, said Marais.

“You can’t just pull debris out of the reef. Cloth and plastic often gets embedded in the reef and you do more damage if you pull it out. So we will focus more on the plastic floating on the surface and fishing line which is also a massive problem,” she added.

Marais, who is also the PRO for Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve, became an environmental educator after studying with the Field Guide Association of South Africa (FGASA).

Also read: Sibaya precinct keeps litter out of the ocean

“It’s important to clean the reef because there are a lot of fish that are residents there and if we have a plastic overflow or a lot of pollution there, the fish eat it, get entangled in it and it ends up becoming part of the reef which is really detrimental to the health and eco system of the reef. We have chosen Vetchies Beach because of the natural reef. We find that a lot of people are focusing on cleaning the beach and not so much on the debris and plastic that is in the reef,” she said.

Due to Covid-19 regulations volunteers will need to pre-register, said Fergueson.

“Usually people can just pitch up on the day but we will welcome anyone and if necessary will split the group if numbers are too big,” she said.

For more information, email info@zebrasharkadventures.co.za.

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