The youngsters from Sentinel Ocean Alliance salvaged a car tyre from the ocean on 8 June 2024. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel) 
World Oceans Day is a day to honour our love for the ocean, reminding us to celebrate what we often take for granted on our daily morning swims, the drives over Chapman’s Peak and surfs in Muizenberg. What’s special about this event is that more than a dozen volunteers don their wetsuits and dive to recover trash from the harbour. Over consecutive years of beach clean-ups, the main pollutants found at Kalk Bay Harbour have been cigarette butts, bottle caps and fishing gear.
The special find of the day was a tiny pufferfish that had washed up on the shore. Data from five years of beach clean-ups has been collected by Nina Bothma who founded Oceano Reddentes with her daughter Jade. Collecting data is important to inform the public, and engage with how companies have been found to play a role in polluting our beaches.
Read more in Daily Maverick: The cycle of life and waste on the urban edge of Simon’s Town
The clean-up was organised by Hout Bay nonprofit Sentinel Ocean Alliance with collaborators Sneakerlab, Sealand Gear, Oceano Reddentes, Impact Divers, Cape Radd, Litterboom, UCT Underwater Club, Jack Black Beer and Parley. DM
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DCS06594.jpeg "Perfect weather in Cape Town brought 80 dedicated clean-up volunteers to Kalk Bay to celebrate World Oceans Day on 8 June 2024. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/World-Oceans-Gunnar-07.jpeg "There were giveaways by Sneaker Labs for all helpful hands. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/World-Oceans-Gunnar-06.jpeg "More than a dozen volunteers donned wetsuits to recover rubbish from Kalk Bay Harbour on 8 June 2024. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/World-Oceans-Gunnar-05.jpeg "Special find of the day: A tiny pufferfish washed up on the shore. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/World-Oceans-Gunnar-04.jpeg "Three generations of Kalk Bay residents helped clean up at Kalk Bay Harbour side. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/World-Oceans-Gunnar-03.jpeg "Jethro Perry, organiser of this year’s beach clean-up, found this fishing line with empty shark egg cases attached to it. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/World-Oceans-Gunnar-02.jpeg "Mike Barron, founder of Cape RADD, and his son Ziggy helped at the clean-up. (Photo: Gunnar Oberhoesel)")