Pacific Trash Vortex! Wow! I had no idea it was this bad!

[scubadrewvideo]

2 months until I depart on board the Alguita with Capt Moore for the 6 week voyage to the unsampled region of the Gyre. Just FYI, I have been discussing goals and objectives with some of the other crew and we look forward to getting clear evidence of the plastic in the food chain. Anyone who has any additional questions or wants to know more about the upcoming voyage, please dont hesitate to ask. I appreciate all the support this issue has been getting lately!
Mahalo,
Drew

 

[ScubaSteve]

Bottom line is, your employer is funding this, so they will only allow what they want to happen on the voyage. Hopefully however, they would be happy to know that certain types of footage are important to alleviating a lot of the skepticism that exists. If someone like blububble (or whoever he is) does not want to believe, then no amount of "proof" will convince them. Benefit will never be maximized if skepticism is never removed (IMO). Your finished results should remove the skepticism for it to be overly effective. Footage like:

- a video of descent through plastic debris
- footage of any wildlife interacting (like swimming though) with the debris
- Any and all visual references possible to size (another diver next to debris)
- plus much more including your already listed goals and objectives

The bottom line, if your employer does not make available better footage than last time, then the benefit mey end up being very long term benefit only. Some people need to see the problem before they will believe it truly exists and two or three pictures on the deck of a boat mean very little to a skeptic.

Maybe your employer has no interest in convincing those skeptics at this time because they need to focus on their intended goals, but when all that would be required is photos and video footage, hopefully they would approve. Either way, I believe there is a problem and will act accordingly.

 

[Sparhawk13401]

I have to confess I'd never heard of this before seeing this thread about a week ago.

And then in a bizare coincidence I caught the tail end of a show on it the other night.

Here's a link - GlobalTV.com | 16 x 9 - The Bigger Picture: Video

Crazy stuff - it's the segment called Garbage Patch.

Whoops. I just noticed the link pulls up the most recent episode. Along the top of the video player is a list of past episode numbers. "Garbage Patch" is in episode #113.

 

[scubadrewvideo]

Bottom line is, your employer is funding this, so they will only allow what they want to happen on the voyage. Hopefully however, they would be happy to know that certain types of footage are important to alleviating a lot of the skepticism that exists. If someone like blububble (or whoever he is) does not want to believe, then no amount of "proof" will convince them. Benefit will never be maximized if skepticism is never removed (IMO). Your finished results should remove the skepticism for it to be overly effective. Footage like:

- a video of descent through plastic debris
- footage of any wildlife interacting (like swimming though) with the debris
- Any and all visual references possible to size (another diver next to debris)
- plus much more including your already listed goals and objectives

The bottom line, if your employer does not make available better footage than last time, then the benefit mey end up being very long term benefit only. Some people need to see the problem before they will believe it truly exists and two or three pictures on the deck of a boat mean very little to a skeptic.

Maybe your employer has no interest in convincing those skeptics at this time because they need to focus on their intended goals, but when all that would be required is photos and video footage, hopefully they would approve. Either way, I believe there is a problem and will act accordingly.

Thanks for the input! However, I must set one thing straight......I have no employer on this. I am a volunteer on board the boat that is chartered by Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) that is studying this problem. It just happens that Captain Charles Moore of the Alguita is the founder of the AMRF. I am not being compensated in any way except having the right to use my footage for what I wish. (Hence the fundraising for my documentary)
I have agreed to let AMRF use my footage for scientific study, but I have complete control of my goals and objectives of what I shoot. Obviously, I will meet the requests of Captain Moore, and film what he wants as well as what I want.

SO I will keep a list of suggested shots that I receive from people like you scubasteve and do my best to get those shots.

I think it really helps to get ideas from those not already involved in the issue because it brings a fresh perspective, or different angle at which to look at the problem.
I want skeptics to give realistic ideas about what it would take to convince them.

I am already a believer having been there before, so I am open for ideas.

One of the questions that needs to be addressed is.... Does the skeptic need to be convinced it exists? or does the skeptic need convinced that it is a problem?

I actually heard a guy say on Wed....."So there is plastic in the ocean...what the problem...it's not like its toxic." SO showing him pictures of plastic wont change his mind.

Thanks again for the input!

ScubaDrew

 

[SLB]

I tried to download the video clip but, not being in Canada, was locked out. Any other method to view?

 

[scubadrewvideo]

Here is one of my Vlog entries for my voyage that shows how this problem affects the beaches of Oahu.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Hey Drew, nice job on the videos. When exactly are you planning on leaving for the voyage? I have some good (potentially great) news for you about the Liquid Image Camera Mask. I will be sending you a video email about it shortly.

Also, wondering about how much money do you need to make this happen? We should get a thing going here on SCUBABOARD in the Petitions and Good Causes section. I know NetDoc and HowardE personally and I'd be willing to bet they would like to assist in some way. I'll contact them about this and see what we can come up with.

I'd like to offer some help here on Maui. Maybe try to get a fund raiser happening here. We would need some literature and collection cans or something to get started. Do you have anything designed yet as far as a logo or ad material? Please let us know....and keep up the good work!!

PLASTIC IN THE OCEAN SUCKS FOR ALL LIVING THINGS!!

 

[smellzlikefish]

It is true that the vortex is absolutely huge beyond imaginable proportions, but if it is to be cleaned up, where else could it go where it would cause less harm? The trash island is huge and disgusting, but it is also in an area of incredibly little diversity. Other options would be to dump it on a coral reef, in a tropical rainforest, or take over a plot of the Great Plains. As a diver, I too love the ocean and consider myself a conservationist, and as such, I question whether there are any more appropriate places for this trash to go.

I didn't have the spare time to read through 16 pages of comments, but I have been to a number of lectures by the NOAA marine debris team, am on their email list, and have been to their website many times. The only solution in site is the ability to turn these plastic products into a form of fuel and while this is being done on a limited scale, we are still years away from making this technology financially feasible. Just to take a ship out to sea costs somewhere in the area of $20,000 per day. Right now they have more than enough plastic to experiment with on the beaches of the surrounding coastlines.

NOAA is developing an unmanned airplane to fly over it for monitoring purposes, but their first trip up to it was a failure because they couldn't find the thing. Apparently, it migrates around in the central northern Pacific. Some years it is absolutely huge while others it is relatively smaller.

I would like to see this monstrosity of waste reduced, but I'm afraid the best way to act is by demanding companies to reduce the amount of plastic and Styrofoam that they use. I always ask for a paper plate where available and try not to buy things that require excess plastic. Furthermore, using filtered water in a reusable bottle instead of pre-bottled water helps. The overall problem is that plastic is everywhere and has become a staple of our lives. The more we reduce our use of non-biodegradeable materials, the sooner we will make real progress on shrinking this trash vortex. It seems the hippies had it right all along.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Hey everyone, I posted this in the Good Causes, Petitions and Solicitations section of SCUBABAORD:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/go...-journey-center-trash-vortex.html#post4345064

 

[Shaka Doug]

It is true that the vortex is absolutely huge beyond imaginable proportions, but if it is to be cleaned up, where else could it go where it would cause less harm? The trash island is huge and disgusting, but it is also in an area of incredibly little diversity. Other options would be to dump it on a coral reef, in a tropical rainforest, or take over a plot of the Great Plains. As a diver, I too love the ocean and consider myself a conservationist, and as such, I question whether there are any more appropriate places for this trash to go.

I didn't have the spare time to read through 16 pages of comments, but I have been to a number of lectures by the NOAA marine debris team, am on their email list, and have been to their website many times. The only solution in site is the ability to turn these plastic products into a form of fuel and while this is being done on a limited scale, we are still years away from making this technology financially feasible. Just to take a ship out to sea costs somewhere in the area of $20,000 per day. Right now they have more than enough plastic to experiment with on the beaches of the surrounding coastlines.

NOAA is developing an unmanned airplane to fly over it for monitoring purposes, but their first trip up to it was a failure because they couldn't find the thing. Apparently, it migrates around in the central northern Pacific. Some years it is absolutely huge while others it is relatively smaller.

I would like to see this monstrosity of waste reduced, but I'm afraid the best way to act is by demanding companies to reduce the amount of plastic and Styrofoam that they use. I always ask for a paper plate where available and try not to buy things that require excess plastic. Furthermore, using filtered water in a reusable bottle instead of pre-bottled water helps. The overall problem is that plastic is everywhere and has become a staple of our lives. The more we reduce our use of non-biodegradeable materials, the sooner we will make real progress on shrinking this trash vortex. It seems the hippies had it right all along.

Please keep in mind that it is NOT AN ISLAND!!!!

Since it is floating around it is spread out. If we could actually collect it, it could certainly be concentrated into a much smaller area for disposal on land. (I think this is still not feasible however due to the size of it and the limitations on collection vessels). I think we need to find a way to harness it as a resource and tap into it...either as a fuel or building material to be consumed and processed 'on site'. Sadly, I believe we've really screwed things up and we will never fully solve this problem.

Look at what is happening to our beaches:

This is Kamilo Beach on the south tip of the Big Island!!! Aren't you glad this is not your favorite beach to play at???

Face it people, we are killing our chances for survival on this earth through our careless practices of discarding so many things we deem as "disposable". All this in just the last 70 years too! Only one generation has changed the planet forever. Good job!!!

It's time to tell COSTCO, WALMART, and all the other big box stores that we are in crisis and they should stop with the marketing of products that rely so heavily on plastic packaging. They make it, we buy it. If they packaged some other way, we would buy that instead. It's pretty simple. They are in a better position to make a difference than the private individuals who refuse one bag when they run into a convenience store.

Some of this plastic trash has taken many, many years to reach the vortex. Imagine what that vortex is going to look like in ten years from today. I'm sure it's hapening in some degree ion all seven oceans. No one has even mentioned the Atlantic yet, or the Indian Ocean or the Arctic Ocean!! We are using more plastic now than ever in this worlds history. You do the math.

Please do your part. It is reported that there will be no more wild ocean fish for us to eat by the year 2020. We'll be down to farmed Tilapia, farm raised Salmon, and farm raised shrimp. Got any idea how healthy (NOT) this is for us??? Seeing this situation scares me. It's not that far off.