Put-In-Bay
Cleanup Dive
A PADI Project Aware Dive Day
September 19, 2005
Past
Trip Report
 When
Patrix told me about a Harbor Clean-up in Put-In-Bay, Ohio, I did not know what
to expect. But, being always in the mood for a new adventure, I decided to
get a group together to
participate in the Annual event for the first time. With a number of
divers from Divers Incorporated we traveled to the Catawba Island ferry dock
near Port Clinton. The Harbor clean up committee had made
arrangements for us to be able to board the ferry, with our dive gear and travel
over to the island for free. At the dock on South Bass Island we
were met by a island tram that took us over to the other side of the island to
Put-In-Bay.
Over 250 divers and volunteers met in the
shadow of the Perry's Monument to hear the dive
briefing. We were all told how the day would go and what was
expected of us. This was going to be a "Muck" dive and the coast
guard would keep the boats out of the area so we could freely find all of our
"treasures" The amount of garbage
that we were able to pull from the harbor was
astounding. All together the divers and volunteers hauled out over 1500lbs
of debris. Some of it was pretty cool. There were over 50 cell
phones, a couple of wallets, some old cans and bottles, a number of
odds and ends and even a ball and chain fashioned from a
bowling ball.
The dives were fun. You groped around in zero
visibility and when you found something you put it in your bag. If it felt like
something interesting, you brought it up to your mask or to the surface to see
what it was you found. The dive was 8ft at the deepest poi nt
so you were in for a long time without ever even denting your air supply.
We all logged at least an hour and a half dive that day.
 After
mucking around on the bottom of harbor we were in bad need of a shower.
The harbor committee had made arrangements for us to use the showers for the
harbor at no charge since we were all volunteers. Prizes were awarded to
the most unusual item, the most valuable item and the best "Zebra Mussel
Sculpture." Everyone who went said that it was worth the dive and that
they looked forward to returning next year.
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