Santa Barbara Harbor Operation Clean Sweep

Update: This past Saturday, a team of volunteer divers, supported by close to 30 volunteer dock workers, removed 2,040 pounds of junk from beneath the Marina 1, M-S fingers. The Waterfront Department extends much gratitude to each of the volunteers for their incredible efforts this past Saturday. Their dedication and hard work made a difference in our local environment.  

Like the floors in many college student’s dorm rooms, the seafloor in a busy harbor can be littered with lost or discarded junk. Just like on land, litter in the ocean can negatively impact the environment. Ever wonder, “What’s down there, where does it come from, and does anybody ever clean it up?” 

On Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 you can find out!
 
Santa Barbara Harbor’s Operation Clean Sweep, a seafloor debris cleanup program, will hold its 16th annual event on Saturday, May 3rd. A team of volunteer divers, supported by 30 or so volunteer dock workers, will remove junk from beneath the Marina 1, M-S fingers. Divers will locate the junk and dock volunteers will haul it up and cart it off for disposal. The event begins at 8:00 a.m., with a briefing on the Travel Lift Pier beneath the Harbormaster’s Office, complete with free coffee and donuts, and concludes with a hearty lunch at 11:30 a.m. 

During past events, volunteers—many of them “Clean Sweepers” from the start—removed over twenty tons of debris from Santa Barbara Harbor. Items retrieved during past years ranged from bicycles, barbeques, plastic barrels, and boat propellers to wire cages, outboard engines, phones, computers, and the occasional marine battery.  
 
The City of Santa Barbara’s Waterfront Department joins volunteers from Commercial Fishermen of SB, SB Channelkeeper, SB Maritime Museum, SB Sail and Power Squadron, Salty Dog Dive Service, Castagnola Tug Service, and Tidy Seas in this underwater cleanup effort.

Register as a Dockside Volunteer Here