Divers Set World Record For Cleaning Trash From Ocean Floor
June 17, 2019
More than 600 scuba divers set a new world record by scooping up trash from the ocean floor on Saturday.
Photo credit: Mike Stocker / Sun-Sentinel.com
633 divers picked up litter from the sea floor near the Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier in Florida.
The record was overseen by Guinness officiator Michael Empric, who flew from New York to do the official head count.
Divers had to stay in the water for at least 15 minutes to count towards the record.
It is still not known exactly how much trash was collected, the Sun Sentinel reports. But diver and environmentalist RJ Harper reported that divers collected 1,600 pounds of lead fishing weights alone.
"Obviously, trash was collected, but the beauty of it is with 633 divers, we were able to do a very thorough cleaning," Harper told the news outlet.
The previous record for the most divers taking part in an underwater cleanup was 614, in a dive organized in the Red Sea in Egypt in 2015.
"It doesn't matter what happens today with the Guinness World Records," said Empric. "What really matters is that everyone is out there cleaning up around the pier and trying to improve the community."
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
Boy With Down Syndrome Nails The Whitney Houston Challenge, And The Crowd Goes Wild
Husband Rents Mall Store To Share His Late Wife's Beloved Christmas Display
The ‘Grandma Stand’ Is Bringing Comfort And Connection, One Conversation At A Time
This Priest Secretly Became A Masked Wrestler To Fund An Orphanage
The Funniest Wildlife Photos Of 2025 Are Here — And They’re Hilarious
This 30-Year-Old’s Christmas Gift To His Mom Is Going Viral
Dad Jokes With Tom Hardy And His Dad
After 2 Years Apart, Siblings In Foster Care Are Finally Reunited
The Hug That Went Viral On Facebook
You Have To See This 'Piggy Train' Trotting Through The Snow
She’s Been Helping Hungry Children For Years — This Christmas, Someone Helped Her
