Joint Awareness-Raising Event for Marine Conservation in Los Angeles

On August 17th, we are planning an awareness-raising event at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles, California, USA. The whole event is made possible thanks to the generous support of our partner DWS and our local volunteers and partners.

The program will start with a 2-hour beach cleanup, which is organized by Heal the Bay and will give participants the chance to not only explore and learn about marine pollution, but also be a part of the solution. Spots are limited and RSVPs are required so please sign up here: Santa Monica Beach Cleanup followed by an event at Heal the Bay Aquarium

Following the beach cleanup, there will be an awareness-raising event at Heal the Bay Aquarium in collaboration with the local Ghost Diving USA team and DWS ambassadors along with their partner the Los Angeles Lakers.

The event will be free to the public and in addition to the Aquarium exhibitions, there will be information, video and photo material about the work of Healthy Seas and Ghost Diving as well as cool activities for all guests such as the Healthy Seas VR experience, a “Dress the Divers” game and helping the divers cut ghost net pieces.

We are also cooperating with the mural artist Memuco, who is creating a marine-conservation-themed artwork live on site in the patio of the Heal the Bay Aquarium.

Background

• Thanks to the support of DWS, on April 28th 2022, we carried out our first ghost net recovery project an hour off the coast of the city of Los Angeles, in California!
• We cleaned a wreck that was blown into two pieces and sunk for the filming purposes of a Hollywood movie: the USS Moody that in 1933 made its final plunge for the movie “Hell Below.”
• Six volunteer divers together with a dozen friends and partners of Healthy Seas, headed toward the wreck that rests off San Pedro. The divers descended to 150 ft (45 m) and despite bad visibility and a strong current, the well-trained team successfully recovered 300 lbs (135 kgs) of a mixture of tuna and squid nets during a single dive. The area is covered by kelp forests, one of the ocean’s most diverse and productive ecosystems.
• When the nets reached the surface, there were many hands on board ready to help release any living creatures that were entangled or growing on the nets: crabs, worms and sea anemones.
• The nets recovered will become a new resource, supporting a circular economy. Our founding partner Aquafil will regenerate the nylon parts that together with other nylon waste will become ECONYL® yarn.