Healthy Seas

Since 2020, DWS has supported the marine conservation organization Healthy Seas in its efforts to rid the world's oceans of ghost nets, saving the lives of countless marine creatures.

Healthy Seas has made a huge difference with numerous salvage missions in a wide variety of waters. With a company donation we were able to fulfill Healthy Seas' big dream to purchase their first own boat. The MAKO boat will allow the organization to work more flexibly and independently, significantly increasing the number of salvage missions to fish out former fishing nets that entangle and ultimately kill marine life.

We are convinced of Healthy Seas' vision and therefore want to do even more to help the organization achieve its big goal of putting an end not only to ghost fishing in European waters, but in all seas. Their mission and goals align with our CSR goals, especially with our efforts to combat climate change. That is why Healthy Seas is one of our partner organizations with whom we work intensively.  

In this way, we are making a sustainable contribution to protecting the oceans.


Healthy Seas is much more than ocean clean-up


Healthy Seas was founded in 2013 to rid the oceans of ghost nets. Through cleanups with volunteer divers and collaborations with fishermen and shipping companies to prevent marine pollution, Healthy Seas collects nets and ensures they become a valuable resource. The nylon nets, along with other nylon waste, are processed by Aquafil into ECONYL® yarn, which is used in textile production and other applications. Other types of plastic are also reused and recycled.

Dive into the world of sea rescue

Operation Deep Blue Legacy: DWS helps Healthy Seas embark on its most important maritime adventure yet

Get ready for an adventure! In June 2024, we are supporting the next journey for ocean protection. The marine conservation organization Healthy Seas has embarked on a mission with its partners Ghost Diving and SDSS (The Society for Documentation of Submerged Sites), to free a historic shipwreck in a remote area of the Mediterranean from deadly ghost nets. Join us and stay up-to-date with our videos on "Operation Deep Blue Legacy".

Video: First glimpse

MAKO in action

Through the support of DWS, in 2021 Healthy Seas was able to purchase ‘MAKO’, its first boat.
MAKO is based in Ijmuiden in the Netherlands and is used for salvage missions departing from there.

DWS supports scientific project in the Adriatic Sea

On the occasion of International Volunteer Day, Healthy Seas, in collaboration with us and Ghost Diving Hong Kong, spearheaded a meaningful beach cleanup on a polluted island near Hong Kong. The event involved 65 enthusiastic students from the Australian International School. These young eco-warriors, guided by their teachers, not only gathered waste washed ashore but also took part in an educational initiative to raise awareness about marine litter. Simultaneously, divers from the local diving center plunged into the depths for an underwater cleanup, targeting marine litter beneath the surface. 

Healthy Seas recovery missions

October 2023

The salvage mission took place in the San Vito Tuna Clipper area, in Catalina Island, California. The Divers managed to dive at 54 meters depth at a large swell and recovered a significant number of nets.
When: 21 October 2023
Where: San Vito (Tuna Clipper)
Duration: 1 day
Results: 30sq meters, ~ 300lbs of nets recovered.

September 2023

The salvage mission took place at the North Sea on an unidentified wreck.  The Divers managed to dive with a foggy visibility of 2-3 meter and a small current at the beginning of the mission.
When: 9 September 2023
Where: North Sea, unidentified wreck
Duration: 1 day
Results: 5 m gillnet, and a big lobster and North Sea crab were released

August 2023

The salvage mission took place at the North Sea on an unidentified wreck.  Even though the day started off a bit rainy, once there, the weather was perfect allowing the Divers to successfully recover nets from the wreck.
When: 12 August 2023
Where: North Sea, unidentified wreck
Duration: 1 day
Results: Recreational fishing gear. about 5 square meters of trawler nets

August 2023

The salvage mission took place in the San Vito Tuna Clipper area, in Catalina Island, California.  The divers managed to dive at 51 meters depth, saving a horn shark that was still alive and caught in one of the nets recovered.
When: 14 August 2023
Where: San Vito (Tuna Clipper)
Duration: 1 day
Results: 100 square meters trawler net and a horn shark alive caught in the net was rescued

June 2023

The salvage mission took place in the San Vito Tuna Clipper area, in Catalina Island, California. It was a beautiful day and the team had up to 60ft of visibility, allowing them to rescue several live lobsters.
When: 30 June 2023
Where: San Vito (Tuna Clipper)
Duration: 1 day
Results: 1 lobster hoop cage; About 5-10 hoop-style lobster traps in a Daisy Chain. 2 other cage lobster traps

 

May 2023

The salvage mission took place in the San Vito Tuna Clipper Wreck where 6 volunteer divers of Ghost Diving USA dove at 51m to recover trawler nets and discovered a dolphin’s skull.
When: 29 May 2023
Where: Tuna Clipper wreck, California
Duration: 1 day
Results: Trawler nets

March 2023

The salvage mission took place during our HS DWS kickoff event in Sharp Island, Sai Kung, Hong Kong. 5 volunteer divers from, the Ghost Diving Honk Kong team, alongside the DWS volunteers who supported from the ship, recovered around 120kg of net and saved 5 crabs found tangled in the nets.
When: 18 March 2023
Where: Sharp Island, Sai Kung, Hong Kong
Duration: 1 day
Results: Weight 120kg, length approx. 150m

January 2023

The salvage mission took place in the San Vito Tuna Clipper area, in Catalina Island, California. Even though there was a storm coming in, the island was protected, and the divers managed to dive 51 meters max depth.
When: 28 January 2023
Where: San Vito Tuna Clipper Catalina Island
Duration: 1 day
Results: 70 kgs trawler

January 2023

The salvage mission took place in Port Shelter and Basalt Island. The bad underwater conditions of the dive made it impossible to recover nets, however the team was successful in cleaning up the beach.
When: 25-27 January 2023
Where: Port Shelter and Basalt Island, Hong Kong
Duration: 2 days
Results: 50 kgs of debris collected during beach cleanup

January 2023

The salvage mission took place in Point Fermin, CA. 6 divers dove 30 meters in max depth towards a radio tower shipwreck.
When: 23 Jan 2023
Where: Point Fermin, Rancho Palos Verdes Estates, California
Duration: 1 day
Results: 3 sections of trawlers each 3X3 meters

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