What We Do

Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans was formed almost by chance in November 2013

When divers Jonathan Martin and Henry Wang went for a dive at Buntzen Lake in Port Moody, B.C., they discovered a tremendous amount of garbage resting at the bottom of the lake.

The amount of garbage at the bottom of the lake was so overwhelming for the duo, that they returned with twice as many divers. The second clean effort while satisfying, still only made a dent in the garbage pile at the bottom of the lake.  Through social media, Henry and Jonathan’s mission caught the attention of their dive friends who eagerly pitched in to see if they could remove all of the garbage.  Many dive trips later, the team of dive volunteers not only removed a significant amount of garbage from Buntzen Lake - over 1,700lbs of garbage; they also became motivated them to start cleaning some other local lakes. Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans was formed and the group was on a mission.

Between Nov 2013 and July 2014, they have removed 7,700 lbs of garbage by executing dives all over the Lower Mainland, in lakes such as Rice Lake, Buntzen Lake, Browning Lake, Cat Lake, Alice Lake, and even as far as Whistler at Lost Lake and Alta Lake.

Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans has attracted the attention of many like-minded individuals as well as local companies with environmental stewardship programs. EEC Industries and Arc’teryx have generously provided sponsorship support.

In the coming years, the volunteer divers of Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans, will work hard to continue making a positive impact on both our freshwater resources as well as our local oceans by continuing to perform cleanup dives on regular basis.