At the end of August, Key Dives stepped up its cleanup efforts with a Dive Against Debris “Trash Trek” followed by a turtle release. During the all-day affair, the dive shop, which has collected over 11,000 pound of marine debris off local reefs since it started cleanups in 2018, visited “neglected reefs” that had probably never been cleaned before. They found old anchors, chains, line and trap debris — 519 pounds in total. They capped off the successful day with a turtle release in partnership with the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. The Key Dives crew had rescued Rocky, a juvenile green sea turtle, weeks before when he had been looking lethargic. After some R&R at the hospital and help getting rid of intestinal issues, he was ready to go back to his home, Rocky Top Reef. 

The Dive Against Debris Trash Trek pulls in 519 pounds of debris.
Doug Hoffman collects rope and trap pieces off the seafloor.
Key Dives owner Mike Goldberg hugs I.Care founder Kylie Smith after a successful Dive Against Debris.
John Enz came down from Jacksonville especially for the event. He was proud to support a local dive shop working to protect local reefs.
Rocky, a juvenile green sea turtle estimated to be around 7 years old, was released back to his home reef, Rocky Top.
Divers collect 519 pounds of debris from Three Peaks Reef. The majority were anchors and ghost lines.
The Trash Trek helps clean up reefs that may never have been cleaned before.

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