In May 2020, the Australian scientific agency CSIRO published a study based on two volunteer-maintained databases. On one side, more than 915,000 debris items recorded on the seabed by divers from the Dive Against Debris program between 2011 and 2018. On the other, more than 32 million objects collected on beaches and along the coasts.
The two lists do not resemble each other.
That is why a cleanup dive is useful when it is counted. Here we see how to find one, what level to require, what to bring up and what to leave on the bottom, with programs verified on October 3, 2026.
How to find a cleanup dive near you?
Start with your club or the center where you already dive. The two major training networks each have their program: Dive Against Debris at PADI AWARE, with an online action map, and Blue Oceans at SSI, which has been organizing a cleanup challenge every June since 2024. Local coastal protection associations also organize some.
The easiest way? Ask.
On the phone, first ask where the debris goes once on land. A serious club knows who collects it. Then ask if the objects are sorted, counted, and entered into a public database, like PADI AWARE’s, or if the bag simply ends up in a port dumpster. And check who supervises the group, because a cleanup outing is still a dive, with a dive director, a briefing, a maximum depth, and a set duration before entering the water. If no one can answer, the action remains nice. It will simply leave no useful trace.
Our article on the role of citizen divers in ocean protection presents other programs, such as the REEF fish inventories or the FFESSM’s BioObs database.
What level is required to participate?
You need at least the level that allows you to dive in the site conditions, with stable buoyancy. For the Dive Against Debris specialty, PADI requires Junior Open Water Diver or equivalent, and a minimum age of 10 years. The rest depends on the club, the depth, and the current of the day.
Here, buoyancy matters more than the certification obtained, and it should be practiced before the cleanup day.
Picking up an object changes your balance. A bag filling up pulls downward, a can full of sand weighs more than you think, and every movement toward the bottom brings your fin closer to the reef or stirs up a cloud of silt that blinds the whole group. A beginner can participate. But their place is often in shallow areas, on sandy bottoms, with a simple role like holding the bag or noting the objects. The dive director assigns roles on site, based on what they observe of each diver.
Clear water does not make the outing safer for all that (current and bag load matter more).
What to bring up, and what to leave on the bottom?
Bring up light objects that nothing inhabits: plastic packaging, cans, bottles, loose fishing line. Leave in place debris colonized by sponges, corals, or animals, sharp objects you cannot safely grasp, and any net caught on the bottom. A net should be reported to the club; it is not to be pulled.
Before grabbing anything, look inside it.
A bottle lying for months often serves as shelter for an octopus or a blenny, which settles there without asking anyone’s permission. In this case, the object stays where it is, even if it spoils the photo. Yet the temptation is strong to empty everything to show a big number, while the CSIRO study reminds us that abandoned fishing gear ranks among the five deadliest forms of marine debris for wildlife. These are precisely the ones entrusted to trained teams. A ghost net can entangle a diver as well as a turtle.
The rules of our guide observing without disturbing marine life also apply during a cleanup, bag in hand.
What equipment should you bring for a cleanup dive?
Your usual equipment, well adjusted, plus a collection bag or net provided by the club, and sometimes gloves. Add a slate if you are noting objects. Also check your weighting before entering the water, as the weight of the bag will change during the dive and so will your stability.
Gloves raise a real question.
They protect against cuts, but some marine areas prohibit them to discourage divers from touching the reef. Ask about the local rule before bringing them; our guide on diving gloves details these cases. The collection net remains closed and clipped close to the body. It never hangs beneath you. For sun protection, a lycra or wetsuit covers better than a cream, and if you do apply one, keep in mind that the effect of filters on corals is still debated, as explained in our article on non-toxic sun protection for corals.
This way, you limit what you leave in the sea while removing waste from it.
Why is counting the waste as important as collecting it?
Because a bag without data only benefits the site cleaned that day. A dated, located, and sorted survey by type of object joins a public database consulted by researchers and decision-makers. PADI AWARE reports more than 2.5 million pieces of debris recorded in its global database (page accessed October 3, 2026).
Counting turns a cleanup into a measurement.
The 2020 CSIRO study clearly shows this. By comparing seabed surveys and beach surveys over the same period, researchers found that some objects float and drift offshore, while fishing line and plastic bags are found in comparable quantities on the seabed and on the shore. Seven of the ten most frequent objects in both environments are made entirely or partly of plastic. Such results only exist if thousands of divers fill out the same form in the same way. PADI AWARE’s page also lists errors that make an entry unusable: beach debris reported as seabed debris, coordinates placed on land, multiple dives grouped in a single form.
If you want to bring relatives or children, our article on raising ecological awareness through diving offers tips suitable for beginners.
In short, allow half a day, a dive less free than usual, and twenty minutes for data entry afterwards. That’s the price of a bag that serves a purpose.
FAQ
Do you need to be a certified diver to participate in a cleanup?
For the Dive Against Debris specialty, yes: PADI requires at least Junior Open Water Diver or equivalent, and 10 years old. Without certification, you can help from the beach or dock, sorting and counting what is brought up. The club decides who goes in the water.
Can you remove an abandoned fishing net?
Not alone, and not without training. A ghost net can entangle a diver. Note its position and depth, take a photo if possible, then report it to the club or local authorities.
What happens to the collected waste?
It depends on the organizer. Ask before the dive. A serious club knows who collects the waste on land and how the data is recorded.
Does a cleanup dive count towards a certification level?
With PADI, the Dive Against Debris specialty is done in one dive and can count as an adventure dive towards Advanced Open Water, according to the program page. For other organizations, check with your center.
Sources
- How To Participate in a Dive Against Debris (PADI AWARE, page accessed in 2026)
- Sink or Swim: mismatch between land and seafloor debris revealed in global study (CSIRO, 2020)
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