Celebrating Our Beaches with a Coastal Cleanup

Bahamas Dolphin Encounters has been involved with many different ways to raise awareness to help protect our oceans, and keep marine life safe by educating the public and getting the word out. We do this by taking action and getting involved with our community. From educating our visitors to the Blue Lagoon Island on our marine mammals, to UNEXSO’s education of wildlife of the Bahamas coral reef, the Bahamas Dolphin Encounter have shown plenty of ways to show their support.

Even as recently as this week, Bahamas Dolphin Encounters joined the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), and participated in the worldwide annual event of picking up millions of pounds of trash on the beach. Bahamas Dolphin Encounters decided to make it a mission to get the community involved and get volunteers to help us clean up our beaches. It is an unfortunate reality that people still treat the world as a trashcan, but it’s up to us to try to keep it under control and clean it up. When we work together, even in small efforts, can make a big change.

This year’s Project B.E.A.C.H. (The Beach Education Association for Cetacean Health) trash pickup day was held on New Providence, with a lot of generous volunteers lending a helping hand. In 2013, the International Coastal Cleanup reported to have had 92 countries participate with 648,015 volunteers, who helped pick up 12.3 million pounds of trash, and put it where it belongs. Yes, you read that right. Millions of pounds of trash just on our beaches!

Families who volunteered, brought their kids to help, and said they felt it would instill a sense of respect for their island homes, beaches, and marine life. They wanted to teach their kids about being socially responsible in hopes of their children’s children may get to enjoy the same beach that they enjoyed as a kid. Bahamas Dolphin Encounters was incredibly touched to hear this, and happy to see this happening.

The cleanup took place over a course of 2 hours, and volunteers were asked to bring water to drink and heavy duty gloves to help with the coastal cleanup and ensure safety of volunteers health. This year’s coastal clean up was named, “Sun, Sand and Sea… Celebrating Our Beaches”. Volunteers who brought four or more friends to help clean up were entered to win beach passes to our very own Blue Lagoon Island.

To find out more info on the Coastal Cleanup event, or how to get involved with the next one, e-mail the organizers, Linzi Knowles-Belton or Annette Dempsy at education@dolphinencounters.com, or call (242)363-7180, extension 302 / 303.