#002 Beneath the Surface: What Richard Nicholls is Finding in Our Harbour

Richard Nicholls has spent more than two decades diving beneath the calm surface of Sydney Harbour, and what he sees there rarely matches the postcard view from shore. As the organiser of Dive Against Debris at Dive Centre Manly, Richard has helped reveal a hidden accumulation of waste that continues to threaten marine life despite growing public awareness.Dive Against Debris began in 2001, inspired by the momentum of Clean Up Australia, with the simple aim of removing rubbish from the ocean. Over time, Richard has observed that while the overall quantity of debris has not significantly declined, its nature has changed. Large items are still present, but the increasing breakdown of plastics into microplastics now poses a far greater long-term risk. These particles are consumed by algae, then fish, and eventually move up the food chain, creating consequences that are still unfolding.Marine animals are already paying the price. Richard has witnessed turtles, whales, and fish ingest plastic or become entangled in fishing line and discarded nets. Fishing line, in particular, stands out as one of the most destructive forms of debris, silently trapping and killing marine life long after it has been lost or discarded. Ghost nets on deep shipwrecks have been a persistent problem, repeatedly catching fish until divers intervened to remove them.Dive Against Debris operates as a tightly controlled citizen science project. Divers log the time spent underwater, the number of participants, and every item collected, categorising waste down to individual objects such as straws, coffee cup lids, soy sauce fish, and cutlery. This data is uploaded to national and international databases and used to support environmental lobbying and policy change. Locally, it has helped Richard work with council to address problem areas and improve waste management.More Informationhttps://divesydney.com.au/dive-against-debris/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.