Shaka Doug
Contributor
Aloha friends and fellow Scubaboarders. There is a terrible problem out in the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific Trash Vortex. Due to it's vast size and undetermined specific location, many people on the planet have never heard of it. Amongst those who have, many are skeptical about it's potential threat to our wildlife and our long term survival on earth. Some think it's a hoax while others are convinced it's one of the greatest problems facing the world today. And then there's everyone in between. There's a lot of info out there but how much is fact and how much is fiction? We need proof.
A good man from Oahu, Hawaii, by the name of Drew Wheeler (SCUBA DREW here on Scubaboard) has been there and he's going back. This time he's bringing his video equipment and he has an agenda....bring back the photographic evidence that the skeptics so desperately want and need. Show the world the situation so we know where we're at and what we need to do. It won't be easy and it will take about six weeks to accomplish. He needs your help to make it happen. Please go to www.trashvoyage.com and see what he's planning. You might just want to help him out. Cash works but maybe you have other ideas. I'm doing my part, can you?
More Info below:
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I'm making this post to bring attention to a very important situation that is occuring in our beloved ocean. It is a problem that is getting worse every day and something must be done to turn it around before it's too late. I'm talking about THE PACIFIC TRASH VORTEX. Have you heard of it? If not, it's time you do.
Basically there is a massive accumulation of swirling plastic debris floating in the top thirty feet or so of the northern Pacific Ocean. Most people with any knowledge of the oceans are aware that the oceans have currents and they move in a clockwise direction north of the equator and counter-clockwise south of it. These are massive in size and it takes months for the water to cycle around. They never, ever stop moving and they are able to trap the floatsom and slowly cause it to congregate in the center. Apparently there are two main areas where this happens, the East Vortex (off the coast of Japan) and the West Vortex (about 1,000 miles north east of Hawaii). The West Vortex is estimated to cover an area that is twice the size of Texas!!! Since the invention of plastic in the 1930's and 1940's, pieces of it have been washing into the sea. Plastic, being light weight, has a tendency to float rather than sink so it floats around...FOR YEARS! While it's floating in the open sea, the sun slowly deteriorates it (Plastic doesn't biodegrade, it photodegrades..big difference!) and it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces (that continue to float near the top). These small and even tinyest pieces are then consumed by fish and marine birds that inhabit this area. The living animals out there primarily feed on plankton and tend to filter the water for food. Now, in 2009, nearly 70 years after the introduction of plastic into our world, it is recorded that the plastic is in such high density out there that it out numbers the plankton, 6 to 1. That means for every mouthful that the fish or bird takes in, he's getting 6 pieces of plastic and one piece of plankton!!!! It shouldn't take you very long to realize that this is going to kill the animal, most likely before the animal has time to reach maturity and reproduce. That is exactly what is happening. Right NOW! It is reaching catastrophic proportions and is killing the worlds fish stocks.
A fellow SCUBABOARDER from Oahu, Hawaii is going on a mission this summer to actually document this scenario. His name is Andrew Wheeler and he is known here on the board as SCUBADREWVIDEO (or ScubaDrew). He frequents the Hawaii O'Hana section of the forums.
I started a thread a few months ago about the Pacific Trash Vortex and it is quickly becoming the most heavily viewed and discussed topic in all of the Hawaii O'hana threads. This topic really strikes a nerve with some people. Many need no convincing that there is a real problem, yet some chose not to believe it's true. Not all of the plastic stays in the sea, some makes it's way up on to the shore. It's the plastic that we don't see yet that is the biggest problem!!
SCUBADREW has already been out to the vortex several years ago. He became active in the thread and is participating in a voyage this summer that will take two months to complete. He is working with the Algalita Research Foundation to sail out to the middle of the swirl, into the highest concentration of plastic to collect samples and video footage of this disgusting, toxic, plastic soup. This is strictly a volunteer effort and he is in need of financial support to make this happen.
Here's what the fish see from below the surface:
A quote taken from a blog I found on the subject:
Swirling Mass of Ocean Trash Grows Bigger Than The U.S.
by Kerry Trueman February 7, 2008 | 9:15 am EST
"When that animal comes close to land, as it does at the Hawaiian archipelago, the results are dramatic.
"The garbage patch barfs, and you get a beach covered with this confetti of plastic."
Here's a picture of what Kamilo Beach looks like now:
I am posting this here to help get the ball rolling for Scubadrew. Not sure how to make it happen but I am asking for your support, particularly financially, to help raise the money and awareness necessary to complete a voyage like this. I'm hoping ScubaDrew will be able to contribute to this post to advise us exactly how we can help. He is posting video logs of his progress and plans on YouTube. Here are his clips so you can see what's going on (sorry, part 3 is not available on YouTube):
PART 1
PART 2
PART 4
PART 5
If you care about our oceans and life on planet earth, you will find a way to assist in some way. Start by refusing plastic bags at the grocery store, bring your own reusable bag whenever you can. Be cautious of how you handle your plastic garbage and recycle as much as you can. These simple steps can have a profound impact on the future of our seas. Spread the word so that others will know about the problem.
Thank you very much! Together we can make a difference. I hope you can contribute to ScubaDrews cause. He's trying to work with Good Morning America and other news outlets to really alert the people of the planet about what we are doing and how we must change our ways or face the consequences. Do you have any contacts with the media that could prove helpful? If so, please speak up!
Aloha and Mahalo!!!
A good man from Oahu, Hawaii, by the name of Drew Wheeler (SCUBA DREW here on Scubaboard) has been there and he's going back. This time he's bringing his video equipment and he has an agenda....bring back the photographic evidence that the skeptics so desperately want and need. Show the world the situation so we know where we're at and what we need to do. It won't be easy and it will take about six weeks to accomplish. He needs your help to make it happen. Please go to www.trashvoyage.com and see what he's planning. You might just want to help him out. Cash works but maybe you have other ideas. I'm doing my part, can you?
More Info below:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm making this post to bring attention to a very important situation that is occuring in our beloved ocean. It is a problem that is getting worse every day and something must be done to turn it around before it's too late. I'm talking about THE PACIFIC TRASH VORTEX. Have you heard of it? If not, it's time you do.
Basically there is a massive accumulation of swirling plastic debris floating in the top thirty feet or so of the northern Pacific Ocean. Most people with any knowledge of the oceans are aware that the oceans have currents and they move in a clockwise direction north of the equator and counter-clockwise south of it. These are massive in size and it takes months for the water to cycle around. They never, ever stop moving and they are able to trap the floatsom and slowly cause it to congregate in the center. Apparently there are two main areas where this happens, the East Vortex (off the coast of Japan) and the West Vortex (about 1,000 miles north east of Hawaii). The West Vortex is estimated to cover an area that is twice the size of Texas!!! Since the invention of plastic in the 1930's and 1940's, pieces of it have been washing into the sea. Plastic, being light weight, has a tendency to float rather than sink so it floats around...FOR YEARS! While it's floating in the open sea, the sun slowly deteriorates it (Plastic doesn't biodegrade, it photodegrades..big difference!) and it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces (that continue to float near the top). These small and even tinyest pieces are then consumed by fish and marine birds that inhabit this area. The living animals out there primarily feed on plankton and tend to filter the water for food. Now, in 2009, nearly 70 years after the introduction of plastic into our world, it is recorded that the plastic is in such high density out there that it out numbers the plankton, 6 to 1. That means for every mouthful that the fish or bird takes in, he's getting 6 pieces of plastic and one piece of plankton!!!! It shouldn't take you very long to realize that this is going to kill the animal, most likely before the animal has time to reach maturity and reproduce. That is exactly what is happening. Right NOW! It is reaching catastrophic proportions and is killing the worlds fish stocks.
A fellow SCUBABOARDER from Oahu, Hawaii is going on a mission this summer to actually document this scenario. His name is Andrew Wheeler and he is known here on the board as SCUBADREWVIDEO (or ScubaDrew). He frequents the Hawaii O'Hana section of the forums.
I started a thread a few months ago about the Pacific Trash Vortex and it is quickly becoming the most heavily viewed and discussed topic in all of the Hawaii O'hana threads. This topic really strikes a nerve with some people. Many need no convincing that there is a real problem, yet some chose not to believe it's true. Not all of the plastic stays in the sea, some makes it's way up on to the shore. It's the plastic that we don't see yet that is the biggest problem!!
SCUBADREW has already been out to the vortex several years ago. He became active in the thread and is participating in a voyage this summer that will take two months to complete. He is working with the Algalita Research Foundation to sail out to the middle of the swirl, into the highest concentration of plastic to collect samples and video footage of this disgusting, toxic, plastic soup. This is strictly a volunteer effort and he is in need of financial support to make this happen.
Here's what the fish see from below the surface:
A quote taken from a blog I found on the subject:
Swirling Mass of Ocean Trash Grows Bigger Than The U.S.
by Kerry Trueman February 7, 2008 | 9:15 am EST
"When that animal comes close to land, as it does at the Hawaiian archipelago, the results are dramatic.
"The garbage patch barfs, and you get a beach covered with this confetti of plastic."
Here's a picture of what Kamilo Beach looks like now:
I am posting this here to help get the ball rolling for Scubadrew. Not sure how to make it happen but I am asking for your support, particularly financially, to help raise the money and awareness necessary to complete a voyage like this. I'm hoping ScubaDrew will be able to contribute to this post to advise us exactly how we can help. He is posting video logs of his progress and plans on YouTube. Here are his clips so you can see what's going on (sorry, part 3 is not available on YouTube):
PART 1
PART 2
PART 4
PART 5
If you care about our oceans and life on planet earth, you will find a way to assist in some way. Start by refusing plastic bags at the grocery store, bring your own reusable bag whenever you can. Be cautious of how you handle your plastic garbage and recycle as much as you can. These simple steps can have a profound impact on the future of our seas. Spread the word so that others will know about the problem.
Thank you very much! Together we can make a difference. I hope you can contribute to ScubaDrews cause. He's trying to work with Good Morning America and other news outlets to really alert the people of the planet about what we are doing and how we must change our ways or face the consequences. Do you have any contacts with the media that could prove helpful? If so, please speak up!
Aloha and Mahalo!!!
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