Letter in a bottle found during a dive clean-up...

You probably don’t need to convince anyone of the fact that diving is all about magic, unusual stories and discovering real treasures. It was no different last weekend in Olsztyn, where the team from the Centre for Unusual Diving “Krokodyle” organised an underwater cleaning!

As part of the Deep Blue Mission international environmental campaign, the “Crocodiles” and their allies set out to clean Lake Tyrsko in Olsztyn, known to locals as “Żbik”. It was in its waters that they managed to make this unusual find, which was a real letter in a bottle!

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[blockquote style=”2″]”We found it by the very shore, so it’s hard to say whether it was thrown out by the water or someone left it there. But I think someone threw it into the lake,” says Igor Bartoszewicz, an organiser from the Crocodile Unusual Dives centre. – It was tightly closed, so it was dry. It’s hard to say when it was written because the author didn’t include the date.”[/blockquote]

There was a good turnout of divers and shoreline cleaners, and at the end of the day there was a really respectable “spoil” that filled 40 rubbish bags. Despite this, the organisers are considering another clean-up so that they can finish the job and be able to say that the task was completed to their full satisfaction.

[blockquote style=”2″]”We are thinking of repeating the action again because we were not able to clean everything. Fifty people came, and it seemed like a lot. But there was much more rubbish,” remarks the organiser. – We went around the whole lake, but we weren’t able to look in all the rushes. Unfortunately, it is there where there is the most rubbish. We pulled as many as six bags out of the reeds on a small stretch. We are not sure if we noticed everything and took it out. That is why we are considering whether to go back there again.”[/blockquote]

The “Crocodiles” team was supported by students from Olsztyn schools. The problem of rubbish lining the lakes and their surroundings is a sad reality in the capital of Warmia. Fortunately, there are people who do not agree with this situation and intend to take further action.

[blockquote style=”2″]”The first time we cleaned up Lake Wildcat was in 1995, when there was the first world clean-up. We took out almost a ton of rubbish then. There were bottles, tyres, even a grenade and a cow’s head. There was also a cooker and a wooden canoe,” recalls Igor Bartoszewicz. – This year we decided to clean the lakes once a month. In April we took up Żbik. It’s sad that people throw everything they bring with them into the water. That they leave rubbish on the shore. Bottles don’t fall from the sky. The other day we found a nappy bag. Someone didn’t take it on purpose,” the diver is surprised. – But I hope that the more actions like this happen, the more people will think about the environment. Maybe when people see the mountains of waste we find, they’ll catch their heads and take the rubbish with them next time. People need to be shown what they are leaving behind. They need to be pointed out to them. And there are masses of it.”[/blockquote]

A total of 680 kg of rubbish was collected and removed and, as the participants themselves note, only a small proportion came from the water. Most was collected near the lake, on the banks and in the reeds.

Deep Blue Mission is an international environmental action led by Scuba School International. This action is based on environmental activities related to water and water cleanliness. It consists of information, education and action in three main areas: coral reefs, shark fins and plastic.

Source: Crocodile Unusual Diving Centre , olsztyn.wm.pl