A Lake Country diver says he first took to the water to find treasures.
Instead, he鈥檚 found more trash than keepsakes.
Ajay Weintz has been scuba diving for a year. He said he鈥檚 heard many stories of divers finding treasures deep underwater, so he decided to jump in and see what he could find in Okanagan Lake.
鈥淭he first day I went into the water, my perspective changed very quickly,鈥� he said.
鈥淢y mindset changed from treasure to trash. Since the first day I started diving, I鈥檝e also started cleaning up lakes.鈥�
Weintz said he never fails to resurface with at least ten to 15 pounds of garbage whenever he goes diving with him.
He鈥檚 gone diving 鈥� and cleaning 鈥� in Okanagan, Wood, and Kalamalka lakes, as well as Adams and Johnson lakes in the Shuswap area.
鈥淥kanagan Lake, by far, is the worst place I鈥檝e ever been. It鈥檚 the best diving I鈥檝e done, but it鈥檚 the worst trash area because of all the party boats,鈥� he said.
He said he usually finds the worst parts just diving off at the Okanagan Centre in Lake Country and the 91大黄鸭 end of the W. R. Bennett bridge at City Park.
鈥淣ext to the old pillars of the old bridge that are still underwater, there is probably a pile of about 300 or 400 pounds of trash just sitting there.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e found record players, work boots, a bicycle, a construction ladder, thousands of beer bottles and pop cans and anything you can think of,鈥� he said.
Despite the trash, Weintz said he has found one treasure at least: an Apple Watch while he was diving in Maui, Hawaii. He said for three years, he tried to find the watch鈥檚 owners and return it to them to no avail. One day, he found the owner had remotely wiped the watch.
鈥淣ow I wear it on my wrist as a little prize,鈥� he said.
Weintz says he goes out to Okanagan Lake, as it鈥檚 the closest, two to three times a month. He wants to get out more, but he needs diving partners who can help him clean up too.
鈥淚 want to do it at least twice a week, and do videos too, so we can spread awareness on what鈥檚 happening in our lake,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 have some people I dive with, but our schedules don鈥檛 always work.鈥�
As the temperatures warm up and more people go out to the lake, Weintz has a simple ask.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e going out on a party boat or just going boating in general, pack out what you pack in. Don鈥檛 throw your empty cans into the lake. Don鈥檛 throw stuff overboard, even if it鈥檚 stuff that you think is decomposable.
鈥淧eople think pop cans will just rust away and disappear, but it doesn鈥檛 happen like that. Whatever you bring out on the lake with you, please bring it back with you and put it in the trash.鈥�
If you are interested in diving and cleaning out our lakes, get in touch with Weintz through his .
For more of his videos, visit his .
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