- December 4, 2025
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Longboat Key's waterways are among some of the most beautiful in the world, noted for their turquoise sparkle and abundant sea life inhabiting the swell. But they can only thrive if the people who enjoy them take care of them, and one teen is taking on the task of doing that.
Coco Claypoole, 15, recently started the Florida chapter of Bubbles of Hope, a group that unites young scuba divers to volunteer cleaning up local waters.
The chapter marked its fifth cleanup on Aug. 3, working with Sarasota Bay Watch to clean up a basin off Roberts Bay in Venice, just south of Higel Marine Park.
Also joining her were Grace Suter, an 18-year-old Sarasota resident on her second dive that day, and 14-year-old Ziggy Tulok from Naples.
Claypoole, who recently completed her 50th dive, officially formed the group at the beginning of the year. In April, they went on their first mission.
"When you get involved, you see that no matter what age you are, you can make a difference," she said.
Previously, the teens worked with Mote Marine to clean up Sarasota Bay in the waters near the now-private aquarium facility on City Island, and with Florida Underwater Sports to tackle Bird Key's shores. They also cleaned up Venice Beach on one of their early dives.
"Our first dive at Mote was only about five minutes because of thunder, but we still got a lot of trash," she said.
In just that short amount of time, the team picked up 56.91 pounds of trash, which they followed up with 378.29 pounds on the second dive at Mote.
Claypoole explained she got inspired after befriending Julia Aveline Rabenjoro, a diver who founded the original organization in Borneo.
They met when serving as ocean ambassadors with Manta Trust, a United Kingdom-registered group that protects manta and devil rays worldwide.
"One day, she sent me a message asking about my diving, and she told me about her group and asked if I'd be interested in starting a branch of it," Claypoole said.
"I love cleanups and all kinds of diving, so I said, 'Let's do it!'" she added.
The PADI-certified diver has a passion for conservation and founded Bubbles of Hope three years ago to facilitate her environmental projects. She has been celebrating every milestone with Claypoole's group.
Her mother, Ali Claypoole, joined the team for the Sunday morning dive. She said the family drew conservation inspiration from living on Longboat Key, in the Longbeach Village area.
"I grew up here, and I wanted our kids to learn to love the Bay as much as I do," Ali said. "They've learned to sail and scuba, and we were always out on the docks or out paddleboarding. They're huge conservationists now, and I think it came from that experience."
Unfortunately, they had to move off the island after last year's hurricanes flooded their home, which they sold several months ago.
Coco has been playing an important role in the community's recovery. When cleaning up around Mote Marine and neighboring facilities, her team pulled plenty of storm debris out of the water, including wooden planks thrown into the bay by high winds.
For their efforts, they've been treated to some unique animal encounters. Coco said they pulled a toad fish, crabs and pistol shrimp from the trash before taking it out of the water, giving them a chance to find a home in their natural habitat.
On Sunday, five divers with Bubbles of Hope Florida joined the 20-some volunteers with Sarasota Bay Watch.
Executive Director Ronda Ryan said they were glad to lend their support to the up-and-coming group with the collaboration.
"It's really great to have the opportunity and framework to help them get the experience that they need," she said.
Between the boat activity in the bay and low visibility, it wasn't the easiest of dives. But Ryan said she was glad to see the young divers rise to the challenge.
Some of the items they recovered included a traffic cone, a large door, a marine battery and and dock box they pulled from the water with an SUV hitch.
Heather Arnone, owner of Florida Underwater Sports, also joined the cleanup volunteers. She extolled the importance of getting the business community to support groups like Bubbles of Hope FL.
"Especially when you see how they're working to make a difference, it's been our pleasure to help carry that along," she said. "We want to see positive action taken as well."
She added, "Our recreational divers are the frontlines for protecting our oceans, and it's awesome that we can help."
Looking to the future, Coco said she hopes membership will continue to grow so the chapter can have an even greater impact in the community.
Those ages 13 to 18 can message Bubbles of Hope Florida on Instagram to inquire about joining. While she has been focusing her recruitment efforts on connecting through SCUBAnauts International, she welcomes any area teens to help out.
