MIAMI – It’s estimated that the planet has lost half its coral reefs since the 1950s, with 14% lost between 2008 and 2019.

“In 2021 … a new paper came out that found that there was 24.4 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean now, which is 60 times the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy,” Kaufman said.

On this day, with the help of Diver’s Paradise in Key Biscayne, Kaufman led a team of 11 divers committed to preserving one of Florida’s most valuable resources.

“Our reefs are the crown jewel of Florida — specifically of Miami,” she said. “They protect our coastlines. When storms come in, reefs can buffer wave energy by like 97%. They provide the food we eat, they provide recreational opportunity.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that South Florida’s coral reefs have an annual asset value of $8.5 billion.

But right now our reefs are under threat. Climate change is increasing ocean temperatures, changing the ocean’s chemistry, causing bleaching — outbreaks of algae, bacteria, and disease — as human pressure strangles our corals with pollution and marine debris caused by irresponsible fishing.

“When there is fishing debris that’s out on the reef that’s left behind, it can float around and trap our turtles and trap our fish, trap rays and trap sharks,” Kaufman said. “And they’re not able to get out.”

And so on this dive, we picked up the many pieces of abandoned traps, painstakingly removing yards of abandoned rope that’s tangled and tied, careful not to remove any living coral now growing on some of those ghost lines.

“There’s like hundreds of thousands of derelict traps that are left by the commercial fisherman and commercial lobster fish industry every single year,” Kaufman said.

After about an hour we surfaced, pulling up 60 pounds of debris

A second dive at another nearby patch reef showed that it too was littered with fishing line, pieces of traps and plastic. At the end of that dive, 38 pounds of debris were removed that otherwise would’ve stayed on the ocean floor.

That’s almost 100 pounds of trash collected in total.

“We definitely saved some corals by getting rid of all this rope,” Kaufman said.

And for this team of devoted divers, protecting what they love is what it’s all about.

“I love our ocean and it’s a beautiful place and we want to keep it like that,” diver Katy Roth said.

Added diver Lucia Speroni: “It inspires people to make a change. To boat more responsibly, to fish more responsibly to try to use less plastic, so I think that’s kind of mission accomplished.”

1. Where are you from?

I’m from Tennessee.

2. How, when, and why did you first start diving?

I started scuba diving because of the military. I started diving in the army as a combat diver, and then I got my Divemaster certification when I realized that I really enjoyed it- that was in 1997. I stuck with diving because it is extremely therapeutic, and after I finished my time with the military, I found out that I liked teaching scuba as well.

3. What do you do at Diver’s Paradise? How did you end up here?

I am a dive instructor, boat crew, and diesel mechanic at Diver’s Paradise. I’ve worked at multiple dive shops as a dive instructor, all the way from West Palm to the Keys. Diver’s Paradise just felt like the perfect fit- I just absolutely fell in love with the place.

4. What is your favorite dive site in Miami?

I don’t really have one favorite spot- I like the fact that we have access to TONS of wrecks from Key Biscayne, and wreck diving is definitely my favorite type of diving to do. You could dive every day and still not hit every one of the wrecks that we have here.

5. What is your favorite dive story?

Probably diving the Doc De Mille! That dive site is known for having stupid crazy current because it is really close to the Gulf Stream. So, when we got to the dive site, our divemaster tried to descend to tie onto the wreck and was able to reach the wreck, but was having trouble tying on because of the current. We had driven for an hour and a half to get to this site, so I was really determined to get on it. I decided to dive down and try tying on myself, and as soon as I started descending, I saw eight, or maybe twelve, MASSIVE spotted eagle rays- they were about six feet wide, and looked like dinosaurs. They were just sitting in the current, chilling like it was nothing. When I finally got down to the wreck and tied off at around 117 ft, the water was crystal clear. After I surfaced, I made sure to brief the boat so that they were aware of the current conditions and recommended that divers hang onto the line for the dive until they got to the North side of the wreck, where the shipwreck would protect a diver from the current. Everybody hopped in the water and descended down the line, and the site looked like a scene out of National Geographic! The eagle rays just hung out with us for the entire dive, and when we looked out over the side of the wreck there were about 200 great barracuda, as well as a couple of massive goliath groupers sitting in the current. Everybody on the dive surfaced and agreed that it was one of the best dives that they had ever been on. I have over 10,000 logged dives, and it is definitely in my top three favorite dives!

6. What scuba diving tip or piece of advice has helped you the most?

The best tip that I can give is to stay calm. Relax! The key to diving is to remember that no matter what situation you encounter, if you stop and think before reacting, everything is going to be fine. If you stay calm, you can work through anything, and I think that that applies to all aspects of life, not just diving.

7. What is your favorite post dive snack?

Peanut M&M’s! It’s like an addiction.

8. What are you passionate about, outside of scuba diving?

I do what I do because I am passionate about it. Specifically, I love teaching. Whether I’m teaching scuba, or I’m teaching First Aid, or CPR, it’s the instructing that I love.

9. What is a fun fact about yourself?

I am a retired combat veteran.