4th Annual Boca Grande Pass Cleanup

The fourth annual Boca Grande Pass cleanup will be on March 17th and 18th. The cleanup is part of a 10 year effort to restore the Boca Grande Pass area in Lee County, Fl.

The pass is the major inlet to Charlotte Harbor, and is famous for it's tarpon fishing (and bull and hammerhead sharks, which come for dinner). It's about a mile wide, and 80' deep at it's deepest, averaging around 40'. The current through the pass can be extreme: Last year we started the diving when the current reduced to an estimated 6 knots.

Last year we had over 40 divers, mostly from around the area. Transportation was provided mostly by fishing charter boats that participate in the annual Tarpon tournament. There also were law enforcement agencies on hand to assist with everything from diver recovery (jet ski), rescue (ambulance and EMTs on the beach), and boat interception (the pass is a busy place). Several PSD teams also made the dive (Lee County Sheriff's Office, for one), and Mote Marine Laboratory had a large contingent there as well.

If you are interested in making this dive, let either CBulla or I know. This is not a dive for beginners. You must be comfortable working in a low vis, high current area that is one big entanglement hazard (that's why we're there, after all). Also, the boats are not dive charter boats. Some of them can be difficult to get back into (and you're going to be doing it in high current, remember), and the crew mostly have no idea how to help divers make their entries or exits.

Last year we removed over 7000lbs of trash from the bottom of the pass, including wads of fishing lines, anchors, coax cable, fishing poles, and crab traps.

Here's a link to some pictures from last year's event: http://www.conchdivers.com/psd/boca

Some history about Boca Grande and the pass:
http://personalpages.bellsouth.net/s/h/shipchas/Chapter2.html

Thanks for posting this up Jeff!

If anyone has questions about the dive and what its like, feel free to ask. It is definitely the COOLEST dive in my book!

This is to span a Thursday and Friday?

Correct. If they get too big a response, divers who sign up for both days will be given preference.

I'll do it

Don't forget to hit the sign-up option, Thats the calendar link with a roll call option!

Don't forget to hit the sign-up option, Thats the calendar link with a roll call option!

Click to expand...

I have absolutely no idea what that means, but I'm interested in the dives.

On the original post, there's a link on the bottom to sign up. We'll turn that list over to the organizers.

Not sure if i will be around at that time, shall have to see nearer the time. Would be nice to give something back, even if the conditions arent all that nice. Colin, will you be able to do it with your crock shoulder?

I made the sign up link in bold, large RED letters in the first post.