Ocean Action Grant Stories: Treasure Hunting in our Waterways

Welcome to Part 4 of our Ocean Action Grant Blog series. In this series we will be showcasing some of the different Ocean Action Grant projects youth have completed across Canada! Interested in participating in our youth programs? State your interest here to receive updates about the Ocean Action Grant and learn more and apply to our other Ocean Wise Youth programs!

In this blog we are featuring Clayton (Clay) Helkenberg, better known as @aquatic_monkey on instagram.

Clay’s passion lies in diving in his local waterways. A few years ago, he found inspiration while observing divers across the border in the US. These divers were uncovering all sorts of treasures from their waterways. Clay thought it was a great idea and decided to do it here in Canada. His main goal has been to use social media to make people stop and think about their actions when around our waterways. To take that one extra moment to think about how they dispose of their trash, not letting the wind blow their items away off a beach, and make sure their bottles end up in the recycling bin.

As Clay started discovering cool items during his dives, including cell phones, he also noticed an abundance of trash. Feeling a sense of responsibility, he began removing the debris. Filming these dives and sharing them on social media turned out to be surprisingly popular, and his following grew. Soon enough, sponsors approached him to organize more cleanup events. Along the way, he connected with an incredible group of volunteers who generously contributed their time to help with cleanups.

Clay’s cleanup efforts span across southern British Columbia. Over the past couple of years his team has conducted numerous dives in False Creek, adjacent to Science World. On each of these dives, they retrieve hundreds of pounds of trash. Recognizing the potential, they decided that this location would be ideal for another dive.  

Clayton hosted a cleanup in False Creek on January 26, 2024 with 7 volunteers. In total they pulled 774 lbs of trash. Findings included a dinghy, three bikes, two shopping carts, several chairs and nine cell phones.

These dives are evidence that these underwater cleanups are necessary in our world, and the more we can share about them the better. Hopefully people will start to think twice about how they dispose of their trash. Clay envisions a future where he can dive into pristine waters, free from any trash. However, he has an extensive list of locations for more cleanup dives! If you are interested in helping out at one of Clay’s dives watch out for volunteer call outs from @Aquatic__Monkey on Instagram! You can also donate directly to help fund Clay’s cleanups.