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*NEWS* |
PROJECT A.W.A.R.E. INTERNATIONAL CLEAN UP DAY 2008- Pattaya
On getting to the beach and having a good clean the entire group of 176 participants assembled for a group photo on the beach with all of the trash that had been collected. With media such as the Bangkok Post and the Nation there we wished to get the maximum exposure possible to the conservation efforts that can be achieved. The waste was collected by the Mermaids Safety speed boat and transported to the Mermaids 1 boat to add to the rest of the trash en route to Pattaya. Items found on Koh Sak beach included a big stuffed teddy bear and after persevering for more than 30 minutes, students and teachers alike from the NIST School Bangkok unearthed a small boat.
After cleaning the beach the teams proceeded back to the boats and donned their scuba diving and snorkeling gear ready for cleanup session 3. As before there was a dive and snorkeling brief outlining to each team their cleanup objectives as well as the safety procedures. Each dive team entered the water and endeavored to bring up even more waste from the reef below and in the shallow sea waters.
Once all the dive and snorkel teams had completed the final cleanup session and all heads on board the boats were accounted for, the fleet of 6 boats and its cargo (which now included a large amount of waste taken from the island) upped anchors and set about returning to Pattaya. During the sail back to Pattaya the raffle tickets for the evenings party and meal went on sale. 100 baht per ticket with well over 100,000 baht worth of prizes to be won and all for a very good cause indeed - certainly one very close to all of our hearts. All of the prizes were donated by our very generous sponsors for the day and sincerely appreciated. 154,562 baht (Approx $5000) was raised for Project AWARE! Upon arrival at the Bali Hai Pier the trash estimated at 1.5 tons included bottles, tires, radios, fishing nets, car batteries and many more items that really didn't belong on a beach or in the ocean. The trash was off loaded on to pickup trucks and taken to the Pattaya Waste Disposal area. All of the dive gear and participants returned to Mermaids Dive Center in Jomtien after a very rewarding day and to ready them selves for the evening party... See the International Clean Up Party Night
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An
hour after lunch it was then time for all participants to swim over to the beach at Koh Sak for cleanup session 2 and start collecting trash that had accumulated on the beach both from being washed up and dumped there.
The Mermaids rescue speed boat assisted those that didn't swim or wished to stay
dry over to the island for the beach cleanup effort.
