Deep breaths, debris

Using only the air in their lungs, free divers swam to depths of up to 25 feet off Crystal Cove State Beach on Saturday to pick up debris from the ocean floor.

Divers from the spear fishing and free diving club OC Spearos organized the cleanup effort, retrieving trash like candy wrappers and plastic bags.

“Diving at local beaches, I would see trash like bottles and plastic bags floating in the water,” OC Spearos president Fernando Gutierrez said. “Divers want our areas to be clean and free from trash.”

Diver Brian Floyd, who participated in Saturday’s cleanup, said he didn’t find much trash under water on Saturday, but he did spot fish like perch, sea bass and Garibaldi.

“It seems like they keep the place pretty clean,” he said.

One diver found a rusty lobster trap stuck in the sand just off the main beach during the cleanup.

The divers worked to free the trap and haul it to the surface. One of the men cut his toe on a piece of rusted metal in the process.

The traps, which usually come with about 25 feet of slack rope attached, are a safety hazard for swimmers and surfers. Gutierrez once got one of his legs tangled in a rope attached to a lobster trap during a free dive off Laguna Beach, he said.

“I just kind of panicked shook my leg until I got free, but it could have been bad,” he said.

The waters off Crystal Cove were a brisk 66 degrees on Saturday, making diving cold work even with wet suits. Visibility was also bad, with waves kicking up sand on the ocean floor.

“Once you get about 50 yards out or so, yay can see a little bit better,” said free diver Bruce Larson, who participated in Saturday’s cleanup.

Larson can hold his breath underwater for as 30 to 60 seconds, but of the best free divers can stay under water for as long as 6 minutes, he said.

“You have to build up your lung capacity over time to do that,” he said.