Story and photos by Karen Erens
Beep. My dive computer alerts me that I’ve just started my safety stop at five meters. This spot is teeming with life among the soft coral, which contrasts
beautifully against the white sand.
Wait… what’s that? A manufactured color that doesn’t belong underwater —bright orange. I swim closer and discover a golf ball nestled between the roots of the fluffy soft coral. As I pick it up to tuck it into my BCD pocket, I spot another white golf ball. And another. And another … it almost feels like an Easter egg hunt. One by one, I pluck them from the coral, realizing that they must have come from the nearby golf course, accidentally — or perhaps even deliberately — hit into the sea.
I look up to signal Jean-Marc, my dive buddy, and see that he is also head-deep in the soft coral. Then he straightens up and shows me a golf ball. Apparently, I’m not the only one noticing these unwelcome visitors.
The three minutes of our safety stop have long passed, yet we continue collecting golf balls. Most are well hidden among the coral; some are so overgrown with coral or algae that they’re only recognizable by their perfectly round shape — quite a rarity underwater.
After about fifteen minutes and an almost empty tank, we give up. Our collection bag is filled to the brim. Not a single ball more will fit.
The result? A staggering 152 golf balls in just fifteen minutes! Imagine how many must be scattered along the entire length of the reef bordering this golf course.
Who Are We?
We are Karen and Jean-Marc, dive professionals travelling the world aboard our sailing yacht, Blowing Bubbles. We left Europe four years ago, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and sailed the Caribbean since then. As full-time liveaboard divers, we explore remote dive sites and share our underwater adventures.
Every place we visit, we explore beneath the waves. Most of the time, we encounter stunning underwater scenes and exciting marine life — but far too often, we also find pollution. We frequently remove fishing lines tangled in coral, retrieve lost anchors, or pick up bottles and cans during our safety stops.
The Impact of Golf Balls on the Reef
Golf balls underwater are inevitable when a golf course features a hole positioned right next to the sea. Once they sink, they disappear from everyone’s view, and no one seems to worry about them anymore. But as divers, we witness the consequences firsthand.
Golf balls slowly break down, releasing microplastics and other toxic substances into the ocean. We’ve even found golf balls with coral growing on them, bearing the scrape marks of parrotfish. These fish graze on algae-covered surfaces for food, unintentionally ingesting microplastics in the process, a hidden pollution problem that few ever consider. After weeks of diving here in Curaçao, we’ve already recovered 3,500 golf balls, a massive number accumulated over years of golfing.
Why Do We Do This?
We’ve been diving worldwide for many years and have seen reefs and their ecosystems deteriorate, largely due to increasing pollution. Sometimes it’s floating debris, sometimes it’s reefs overgrown with algae, or coral gardens with fewer and fewer fish.
If we can make a difference, we’re happy to dedicate part of our dives to a good cause: cleaning up, so that we, and other divers, can continue enjoying pristine, unpolluted reefs.
Will You Join Us?
Our oceans deserve better. If you want to enjoy breathtaking dives for years to come, maybe you’d like to contribute to a cleaner underwater world too? Hop aboard Blowing Bubbles and learn all about the magic of diving with a mission. On your next dive, you’ll be on the lookout for garbage. We teach you how to be prepared and bring the garbage up in a safe way.
Together, we can make a difference! Send us a message at www.blowingbubbles.eu, or learn more about is at www.blowingbubbles.eu, and become part of the change.
