El Gouna Cleanup
calendar_monthNovember 09, 2009
This year’s Project AWARE International Cleanup Day was celebrated in style in El Gouna on 27th September 2009. Dive centres, hotels, tour operators and their guests, plus a host of other individuals and organizations, joined together to maximize the effect of the Cleanup operation in a tremendous team effort that focused on the reefs of Shaab El Erg and Dolphin House. Over 80 participants collected an incredible 300KG of rubbish from these popular diving and snorkeling sites. The rubbish consisted mostly of the usual tin cans, fishing lines, glass and porcelain, but there were also some more unusual finds including a bed, a pair of ray ban sunglasses and a large carpet. It’s amazing what you can discover underwater! HEPCA also joined in the day’s activities by bringing forward the planned maintenance of the mooring systems at Shaab El Erg and the surrounding dive sites to coincide with the Cleanup Day. Many ropes and buoys were replaced and a new mooring system installed. Massive thanks to everyone who took part in the event and the coordinators, including TGI Divers, Orca Dive Club, Tropical Gangsters Dive Club, Oototo, Makadi Tours, and the Sultan Bey Hotel’s environmental team. Pictures of the event can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=141670&id=665383254&l=f7b06e8bb9 Elsewhere in El Gouna, Dive Tribe organized a full program of educational activities for their guests and a reef clean up, as did Euro Divers. As well as underwater, other cleanup activities were arranged on land including a 2KM stretch of El Gouna’s northern beaches carried out by environmental teams from the Steigenberger Golf Resort, TTC Ocean View, and TTC Rihana in cooperation with Orascom staff. In total, 550 bags of rubbish were collected. The Mövenpick Resort & Spa had a different idea (also World Tourism Day) and took the opportunity to invite children from the Hurghada Orphanage to spend the day at the resort and entertained them with face painting, games and plenty of ice cream to put smiles on their faces. Well done to our Members and everyone in El Gouna!
