A group of 633 scuba divers broke a Guinness World Record after they collected trash from the ocean floor near the Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier. Guinness adjudicator Michael Empric did the counting for two hours.

Divers jumped in the water and stayed in for at least 15 minutes as provided by the rules.

Dahlia Bolin, 13, was part of the group. She traveled with her mom Rebecca all the way from Mackinaw, Illinois. The girl was holding a white metal sign with red lettering that read “Boats Must Not Come Within 100 Yards of Pier.”

Diver and environmentalist RJ Harper recruited divers for the big event. According to him, divers collected 1,600 pounds of lead fishing weights alone. He said that seeing all those people gather with one particular purpose was such a brilliant sight.

Hopefully, this will inspire others to organize similar events and clean the waters near their homes. Harper now has 600 new friends, and he is more than grateful for the massive cleanup.

People usually go to the beach to tan and have fun. You don’t always see hundreds of people go to the beach to clean it.

Karina Corradine was enjoying her day under the sun and watched the group collect trash. She really hoped that these people would reach their goal. She used to dive in Brazil, but wasn’t certified to do that.

Dixie Divers owner and cleanup organizer Arlington Pavan wasn’t really sure about the record. The number was too big, and it sure requires a lot of effort.

Empric confirmed the record of 633 as Pavan sprayed the divers with champagne.

The group broke the record in two hours. The previous record of underwater cleanup was held by Ahmed Gabr, a former Egyptian Army scuba diver, and his team of 614 divers in the Red Sea. They made the record in the Red Sea in Egypt in 2015.

This record helped the community in many different ways. It’s really important that people join their forces to make the world a better place to live in.

Sources:
www.sun-sentinel.com
www.independent.co.uk