On the day of the event, they dive down and retrieve items, often by tethering ropes to larger items and having volunteers hoist up garbage. Volunteers load up wheelbarrows full of trash and cart it up to the dumpster. Santa Barbara Adventure Company enjoys participating in the Santa Barbara Harbor Clean Sweep because it’s a way to give back to the community and to our environment which we all share.

The ocean is a common resource and we need to work together to protect it and help make it safe for ocean life. Andrea Dransfield, an employee at Santa Barbara Adventure Company, states

“I do the harbor clean-up every year and it’s very rewarding. I take it upon myself to make sure all sea creatures collected along with the garbage are safely returned to the sea.”

During the clean-up, a record number of two-spotted octopi were seen hiding in the garbage. We even found an octopus nest in a pipe! Last year only a couple octopi were found so this is good news for the populations in the harbor. We also found many small white eggs covering the surfaces of several items we pulled up. They may be octopus eggs but we are not sure. Please comment if you know what kind of eggs these are!

Among the tons of trash recovered from the harbor this year, we found a microwave, glasses/cups, an uncorked wine bottle, a bicycle, garbage bins, steps, brooms, a fisherman’s receiver, and more!

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Volunteer Marine Debris Clean Up Day

Santa Barbara Adventure Company joined forces with Island Packers Cruises and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper on Wednesday January 15th to remove marine debris from Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Led by Santa Barbara Adventure kayak guides, volunteers paddled through a challenging shore break to reach the barnacle and urchin covered beaches where they collected trash along the shoreline.

Over 900lbs of marine debris was collected during the day as volunteers paddled back and forth from the beach to the Island Packers boat. Volunteers from Save the Mermaids, NOAA and Channel Islands National Park, as well as local kayak guides, joined the group.

Interesting items were found; lobster traps, buoys, tennis balls, plastic bottles, rope, piping, shoes, balloons, an engine, and other indiscernible things.  Trash collects in eddies in the Channel and washes ashore in concentrated areas on the Island. They are hazardous to marine life; seals and sea lions get caught in traps and rope, and smaller bits of plastic are often mistaken for food.

Michael Cohen, owner of Santa Barbara Adventure Company, reflected on the day’s success.

“The last cleanup we did was at Anacapa Island and we collected about 400lbs of trash, so we are very pleased with the outcome from today. Chinese Harbor on Santa Cruz Island is well exposed to the prevailing North West winds and swells and collects a lot of debris. It is also very difficult to access by foot, so it’s a great way for us to clean up by kayak. The volunteers did a great job today and all were grateful for an opportunity to give back to the National Park that they love so much.”

Cohen also mentioned that another clean-up will be scheduled for later in the year.

We are proud to help protect and bring awareness and tourism to the National Park and strive to be responsible stewards of these beautiful islands that give us all so much joy!

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