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Sara Campbell joins Hayah Reef Clean-Up

Sara Campbell, the British World Champion freediver, demonstrated her support for HEPCA’s ‘Hayah’ campaign by taking time out of her busy schedule to join blue o two guests for a reef clean-up week, onboard M/Y blue Fin. The week was part of a month of subsidised clean-up safaris that blue o two have been running throughout January in continued support for HEPCA’s ‘Hayah’ campaign. ‘Hayah’ meaning ‘Life’ in Arabic, is HEPCA’s most ambitious environmental project yet, aiming to involve all sections of the Red Sea community to work towards; raising awareness, education and responsibility and active participation. Sara said: "I've always had a close connection with the environment, and am delighted that I can use my diving to reach a wider audience to help protect not only the Red Sea, but all water environments. I was on the fourth Hayah/blue o two clean-up week and it was clear that their efforts have already made a huge impact. The amount of waste that ends up in the sea is shocking - it not only looks horrible, but it destroys the reefs and particularly in the case of fishing lines and nets, can create the most awful devastation to the wildlife." Natalie Tyler, Project Manager at HEPCA, was also onboard during the week and outlined the importance of active support from the diving community for the ‘Hayah’ campaign; “HEPCA is committed to addressing all environmental and wildlife protection issues across the whole of the Red Sea, and the Hayah initiative aims to reduce the waste both in the sea and on land, through clean-ups and awareness and education projects. Simply by seeing that divers are prepared to spend time and money on holiday to clean up the reefs makes a big impact on the boat crew and encourages them to adopt more environmental-friendly ways of living at sea - from waste disposal, to cleaning materials they use. We can't pin-point the waste problem at one group - everyone is responsible for looking after the future of the Red Sea." If you would like to play a part in preserving the Red Sea and pledge your support for the Hayah campaign, join clean-ups and initiatives organised by our members. For more information on blue o two's subsidised clean-up weeks visit www.blueotwo.com