Reef and Beach Clean-ups
Geko Dive has employed local people since 1999 to clean the beach in Padang Bai on a daily basis. In addition to this we endeavor to hold a large beach and underwater cleanup every 3 months. This involves the local community and raises awareness of the issues involved in waste disposal.
Please see some photos below of the underwater clean-up held on 27th April 2008. We had approximately 165 people from the local community, local businesses, expatriates and visitors take part in the one day event which focused on the main beach of Padang Bai and the Wall at Blue Lagoon.
If you would like to take part in an underwater clean-up please contact us for upcoming dates.
Earth Day in Bali
Geko Dive organises a large Beach and Underwater clean-up for Earth Day.
With over 350 participants from the local community the Beach and Underwater Clean-up in Padang Bai was an enormous success. This small town on the East Coast of Bali is a Mecca for the Diving community worldwide. Its small town atmosphere has a charm that other places in the Island cannot compete with. This combined with world class diving makes people want to come back again and again.
Waste disposal in Indonesia can be problematic. Traditional ways of wrapping food consist of all natural materials. With the increased use of man-made materials there came no education on the disposal of these materials there was also no infrastructure in place to deal with the waste.
Geko Dive has been open in Padang Bai since 1997 and has always had a strong sense of responsibility, both to the community and to the Environment. Past projects have included building toilet blocks for the school, fixing the school roof, providing computers for the local schools and teaching the children English. As well as organising periodic beach and underwater clean-ups.
Geko Dive's current focus is to make the children aware of the problem and enable them to do something about it, making them enthusiastic and proud to be part of the solution. To this end Cynthia Kasar, one of the former owners of Geko Dive, went into the local schools on Earth Day 2010 to give a talk on reducing, re-using and recycling waste. They were then invited to join in the Beach and underwater clean-up on 25th April 2010. To remind the children, and others, of their efforts more than 200 t-shirts were given out.
"Those of us in business in places like here (Padang Bai, Bali) must take responsibility and act now. If WE don't do something, who will?" said Cynthia Kasar, Geko Dive's former owner. "One of the places that we should start is by helping to show the children what their world will be like if the current attitudes don't change. They have the potential to do so much, and we have the ability to help them. Today's clean-up is just the start."
Simultaneously an Underwater Clean-up in the Blue Lagoon was organised by Geko Dive. Free diving was given to any diver who wanted to help. The results were fantastic. Altogether, with both clean-ups, almost a full truck of rubbish was collected.
If you require more information on this or any more of Geko Dive's Community or Environmental programs please Email Geko Dive.
