Two friends went diving for treasure — while also doing good for the environment by cleaning up large amounts of trash — after a notorious Florida boat party.
TikToker Brook Crist (@brookiecrist) posted a video to the platform that highlighted all of the waste she and her friend found after snorkeling around Lake Boca the day
@brookiecrist I can't believe we found all this stuff!! We cleaned up trash after Boca Bash and found some treasures! #florida #bocabash #lakeboca #oceancleanup #treasurehunt ♬ A Bar Song (Tipsy) - Shaboozey
after the Boca Bash, which is a huge boat party. Their findings suggest that partygoers and party organizers did not seem to prioritize cleaning up their mess.
In Brook's video, she and her friend collected both treasure and trash. Treasure was found in numerous pairs of high-end sunglasses and some money, while trash was found in the form of empty beer cans and vape devices. Among the trash, they also spotted tons of diverse marine life who had to live among the trash. They even found a few octopuses living inside beer cans. "I can't believe we found all this stuff!" Brook captioned the video.
The sheer amount of trash after one day of partying is concerning, given the impact that trash has on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
Lake Boca connects to the Atlantic Ocean and therefore has a whole host of ocean-based wildlife. This year's Boca Bash made headlines after people on a boat were caught dumping two full garbage cans of trash into the lake, as reported by the Palm Beach Post. The chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was quoted in the article, stating, "The illegal dumping of trash in our marine environment is a serious crime … Callous disregard for Florida's environment will not be tolerated."
Good samaritans like Brook and her friend who cleaned up trash are important, but larger efforts are needed to prevent trash from harming marine ecosystems. Examples of new technology addressing this are high-tech sea bins that suck trash out of the water and trash interceptors in storm drains to prevent trash from entering the ocean in the first place.
Commenters on the TikTok were very thankful that Brook and her friends took action to clean up the waters.
"Great job guys. World needs more people like you," commented one user.
"You girls are awesome, thank you," chimed in another.
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