Plastic? Some Dive Operators Step Up

Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts in St. Lucia have announced they have reduced single-use plastic from operations by 90 percent.

Worldwide Dive and Sail, led by Frank Van der Linde and Mark Shandur, is eliminating single-use plastic from global operations, including its liveaboards, the Siren Fleet, Master Liveaboards, and the Junk. Beginning with an immediate ban on plastic straws on its fleet of 15 boats, they plan to ban all plastic before 2020. WWDS recently merged with British liveaboard operator, Blue O Two, which has also announced the end of single-use plastic bottles on its Red Sea Fleet.

That said, we're still waiting for the diving industry to do something about the way its products are over-packaged in plastic. They are supposed to be protecting our oceans, but their plastic packaging can contribute to a whale of a tragedy.

A 33-foot (10m)-long, six-ton sperm whale that washed up dead near the Mediterranean diving destination of Cabo de Palos in Spain died from gastric shock after ingesting more than 64 pounds (29kgs) of plastic waste. It has prompted Murcia's regional government to launch a campaign, in collaboration with the European Environmental Association and European Fund for Regional Development, to stop dumping plastic waste in the ocean.

And, the dive industry needs to stop providing that waste. Don't write to us; write to your favorite scuba equipment brands.