UW – cleaning action Beli.

Beli is a community of 20 souls on the east coast of the island of Cres in Croatia. For 6 years we at TS ScubaConsult have been offering diving trips to this picturesque place, which are also popular.

Unfortunately, this place developed from an insider tip to a port of call for 5-6 tourist boats per day with up to 50 guests per ship, which overloads both the infrastructure and the environment above and below the water.

The underwater world has changed dramatically as a result of this onslaught. Rubbish from objects carelessly thrown into the water collects especially in the area of the boat landing stage: tin cans, plastic cutlery, cardboard cutlery, toilet paper, but also shoes and other items of clothing.
Above all, the organic impurities leave their mark on the steep walls in the area. Sponge growth, especially gold sponges, has drastically decreased in recent years.

In order to set an example, we decided to carry out a cleaning campaign on behalf of the diving school ScubaConsult and the EOBV. Admittedly, this action was more symbolic as it was impossible to haul all the debris to the surface. Our “cleaning crew” was amazed at how quickly the garbage bags filled up, even though we were only able to work on a relatively small section under the boat dock. However, we wanted to point out the conditions under water and strengthen those residents of Beli who have recognized the problem and are committed to protecting the region and thus also the underwater landscape.