Bay News 9 · September 2, 2026
More than 60 volunteers worked the beach and the water at Treasure Island. Spectrum Bay News 9 covered the day and quoted Misting Monsoon Diving founder Jarrett Maryon on what reaches the water and never makes it into a trash bag.
What was said
“I love seeing the community giving back to our waterways. It’s massive.”
“As it gets into the ocean, we have sea turtles, fish, all the wildlife and sea life eating it. The fish eat it, and we eat the fish. So we are eating the plastic that is going out into the ocean.”
“Leave no trace — it’s the biggest thing.”
Jarrett Maryon, Misting Monsoon Diving — Spectrum Bay News 9, published September 2, 2026
Bay News 9 put it plainly: “Jarrett Maryon, who runs Misting Monsoon Diving, an underwater marine services company, helped remove garbage from the water.”
That is the part of a shoreline cleanup most people never see. The cleanup was organized by Treasure Island Adopt a Beach and brought together more than 60 people working the beach and the water. Crews on the sand fill bags. Cans, bottles, plastic and firework remains that have already reached the water do not come up with a grabber and a bucket — they come up with a diver.
Watch
Footage filmed by Misting Monsoon Diving on working dives in Pinellas County. This is the debris field a shoreline crew cannot reach.
Every Misting Monsoon dive is documented with photo and video — the same practice that produces a written condition report for a boat owner produces the record of what is actually sitting on the bottom of Tampa Bay.
Full transcript
Spectrum Bay News 9, September 2, 2026. Reporting by Jeff Van Sant. Transcribed from the broadcast captions; speaker labels added, and two automatic-captioning errors in proper nouns corrected.
Anchor: A coalition of conservation groups hit the beach in Treasure Island, cleaning up trash along the beach and in the water. Spectrum Bay News 9’s reporter Jeff Van Sant spoke with some of those who were involved, who say maintaining clean beaches and water is a passion.
Jeff Van Sant: Along the beach near Sunset Vista Park, an army of volunteers scour for trash of all kinds, big or small. Everything collected is a win for these volunteers.
Patrick Collins: Imagine a kid steps on that, you know. Or imagine somebody throws it into the water and it breaks, somebody’s walking into the beach — that’s gonna be a serious problem right there. So it’s not just the trash, but it’s also, you know, you could hurt somebody.
Jeff Van Sant: Patrick Collins is the executive director of the Florida Divers Conservation Coalition.
Patrick Collins: Cans and bottles being thrown into the water — I mean, that’s just blatantly disrespectful to not only us that live here but to the environment.
Jeff Van Sant: While many are picking up trash on the beach, some are working offshore.
Jarrett Maryon: It’s awesome. I love seeing the community give back to our waterways. It’s massive.
Jeff Van Sant: Jarrett Maryon runs Misting Monsoon Diving. It’s an underwater marine service company. Today he is helping collect garbage in the water.
Jarrett Maryon: The fish eat it, and then we eat the fish. So by sense, we are eating the plastic that is going out into the ocean. So if we just stay diligent and keep the trash from getting into the ocean, that can all be prevented.
Jeff Van Sant: He documents a lot of his cleanup dives, hoping to educate the public to be more responsible.
Jarrett Maryon: Leave no trace. That’s the biggest thing. Pay attention to what you bring to the beach — and what you bring to the beach, leave with it.
Jeff Van Sant: It’s a big effort today — more than 60 people. It’s organized by Treasure Island Adopt a Beach. Most of what they find is plastic, especially straws, cans and bottles. But with each volunteer doing their part to keep these beaches pristine, they hope others will learn to care more about their surroundings and environment.
Bring us to your cleanup
Misting Monsoon Diving covers the in-water portion of shoreline and marina cleanups across Pinellas County at no cost to the organizer. Volunteers need no certification, no gear and no experience — the diving is ours. If you are organizing a cleanup, or you run a marina that wants its basin worked, reach us at 727 344 9848 or beneaththewaterline@mistingmonsoon.com.
Media & interviews: Jarrett Maryon, PADI Advanced Master Diver & Instructor, is available for on-camera and phone interviews on marine debris, water quality, and what ends up on the bottom of Tampa Bay.
More coverage on the In the News page, or request a quote for your own boat.
Get involved — or get a quote
Organizing a cleanup, or need your boat’s bottom handled by a certified diver who documents every dive? Reach out.