A few days ago, while diving with my buddy Mike in Halkidiki, Greece, he noticed something floating in the distance. We swam over to check it out and found three loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) trapped in a tangle of abandoned fishing nets, red floats and a plastic crate, struggling at the surface. The nets were wrapped tightly around their flippers, necks and shells.
Luckily, I had a pair of scissors on my buoy. We worked slowly and carefully, clearing every bit of net from their flippers and necks before letting them go. One by one, they swam off, and one of them even stayed with us for a moment, just watching, before disappearing into the blue. Honestly, I doubt they would have lasted much longer in that state.
As divers and spearos, we're often the only ones who see what's happening below the surface: abandoned nets, plastic and animals in trouble. If you ever come across something similar, don't swim past it. A small pair of scissors or a line cutter on your buoy takes up almost no space and can make a real difference.
Dive safe, everyone!
