633 Scuba Divers Set World Record for Largest Ocean Beach Cleanup

CORRECTING DATE Divers crowd the waters of Manado on August 16, 2009 to set the first ever
SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of divers broke a world record this weekend by doing their part to make the Earth a little bit cleaner.

The 633 scuba divers banded together to scoop up ocean trash on Saturday off a fishing pier in Deerfield Beach, Florida, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

The effort is now part of the Guinness World Records, and one person representing the organization was on hand to witness the feat.

According to the paper, each diver had to be in the water for at least 15 minutes to count as part of the cleanup.

“I actually stood there and clicked off everyone as they got in the water,” Guinness World Record adjudicator Michael Empric told the Sentinel.

The 972-foot pier is popular for fishermen in the area, as many marine life tend to make the area along the shore their home, USA Today reported.

The scuba divers removed more than 1,600 pounds of fishing weights made out of lead and 60 pounds of fishing line during their two-hour cleanup session.

Although the official amount of trash is still being counted, conservation groups say cleanup participants removed up to 3,200 pounds of debris, CNN reported.

“There were countless lead sinkers … everything from a boat ladder to a barbell,” Tyler Bourgoine, a participant of the cleanup, told CNN.

The city of Deerfield Beach says it will also help with disposal efforts by ensuring everything is recycled properly.

Plastic and other human waste products have become a problem in the oceans. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) noted that there is an estimated eight million metric tons of plastic waste that enter the ocean each year.

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