The ocean is the heart of our planet, yet it’s under increasing threat from pollution, especially plastic waste such as single-use plastics, discarded fishing gear and nets, and cigarette butts. Every year, tons of millions of plastic enter the sea. This plastic entangles marine life and damages fragile ecosystems, such as coral reefs. It even finds its way into our food chain. However, there is hope. Change is possible, and it’s already happening. This June, DiveAssure is proud to sponsor the #SeaTheChangeCleanup an ocean cleanup Challenge, a global call to action from Reef World and Green Fins that empowers ocean lovers everywhere to be part of the solution.
A Crisis That Can No Longer Be Ignored
The scale of marine pollution is staggering. Scientists estimate that, by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish, by weight, in the ocean. Microplastics have been found in the deepest ocean trenches and in animals throughout the ocean. Already vulnerable to climate change, coral reefs face additional stress from plastic debris that blocks sunlight and introduces toxins into delicate environments.
This is not someone else’s problem. Whether you live by the coast and can participate in an ocean cleanup or thousands of miles inland, the waste we generate affects the ocean we all depend on. But there’s good news! Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference.
The Inland Connection: Rivers, Plastics, and Drinking Water
When we think about ocean pollution, we usually picture beaches and coastal waters. However, some of the biggest contributors to ocean debris are far from the sea. Rivers act as highways for plastic pollution, transporting trash from cities, towns, and rural areas directly to the ocean. Studies have shown that just a few rivers carry most of the world’s plastic waste into the ocean.
This means trash tossed on city streets, left beside a hiking trail, or dumped into a storm drain can travel through waterways and end up in marine ecosystems thousands of miles away.
Even more urgently, this pollution threatens our drinking water. Plastics and chemicals leaching into rivers contaminate the freshwater sources that communities depend on. What starts as litter in a local park can become a global problem.
That’s why the Sea the Change ocean Cleanup Challenge is open to everyone, not just coastal communities or divers. By cleaning a riverbank, park, roadside, or your own neighborhood, you are helping to protect both human health and ocean life.
DiveAssure Takes a Stand
As a global leader in dive and travel insurance, DiveAssure is committed to ocean conservation and the diving communities that depend on healthy seas. We are also made up of a team of avid scuba divers and freedivers who truly care about the ocean and its health. That’s why we’re sponsoring the Sea the Change Cleanup Challenge from the 6th of June to the 6th July to raise awareness, inspire action, and give back to the marine environment.
For every kilogram of trash collected during the ocean cleanup challenge, DiveAssure will donate $10 to the Reef-World Foundation to support efforts to protect coral reefs through the Green Fins initiative. This means that your cleanup efforts will not only remove pollution, but also help fund long-term conservation strategies around the world.
How to Join the Movement
Participating in the Sea the Change cleanup is easy, accessible, and impactful. Here’s how you can get involved:
- Host or join a cleanup: Every piece of trash removed matters, whether you’re diving, snorkeling, walking the beach, or cleaning up a river or park far from the sea. Every little helps and makes a difference.
- Weigh your collection: Track how much rubbish you’ve removed to maximize your impact. Don’t forget we donate 10$ for each kilo of trash collected.
- Record your data: Use apps like @oceanconservancy’s Clean Swell or @padiaware’s Dive Against Debris® to document your cleanup.
- Upload your results: Take a screenshot of your report and share your total weight at bit.ly/SeaTheChangeCleanup.
This challenge is for everyone—divers, snorkelers, families, school groups, or solo eco-warriors. Whether you’re cleaning up underwater or far inland, your actions ripple outward to support the global ocean. Let’s organise an ocean cleanup!
Prizes to Celebrate Your Impact
As a thank you for participating, you will be entered to win exciting prizes, including the rugged Fourth Element 120L duffel bag and Green Fins e-courses. These include the brand new Green Fins Snorkel e-course launching later this year. SSI dive center participants who report via the Blue Oceans Dashboard in their MySSI Center accounts also have the chance to win SSI Ecology Kits.
These prizes aren’t just cool gear; they’re tools that will help you deepen your commitment to sustainable diving and marine conservation.
Raising Awareness, Inspiring Change
The Sea the Change Cleanup challenge aims to inspire a global movement of awareness and responsibility, not just remove trash. By sharing your cleanup journey, you educate others, motivate your friends and followers, and demonstrate what can be achieved when we all work together.
Be sure to follow and tag @reef_world, @green_fins, and @diveassure on social media. Use the hashtag #SeaTheChangeCleanup to showcase your impact. Together, our stories can generate a ripple effect that transcends borders and oceans.
For those who are SSI divers, tag @blueoceansprogram and be in the chance to win an SSI ecology program.
Why This Matters—And Why We Can’t Give Up
The scale of the environmental challenges we face can be overwhelming. However, giving up isn’t an option. Change comes from consistent, collective action, and this challenge proves that we’re stronger together.
When you pick up just one piece of trash, you send a message that the ocean matters, that we won’t give up, and that our daily actions, however small, can protect what we love.
DiveAssure believes in a future where coral reefs thrive, marine species flourish, and our seas are free from the plastic that now chokes them. That future begins with action. It begins with you.
Ready to Sea the Change?
Grab your gear! Rally your friends! Join the movement! No matter where you are—underwater, on the shore, or miles from the sea—you have the power to protect our blue planet.
Let’s clean up and Sea the Change—one piece of trash at a time.