EASTHAM, Massachusetts:

* While the beaches get all the headlines, the nearly 900 freshwater ponds that stretch across Cape Cod are an oasis from the heat and hustle of the summer tourist season.
* **Since 2018, the stewards of the swimming holes have been a group of senior citizens, the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage.**
* "It sounded so wacky," Marci Johnson said.
* “You’re never too old to have a bunch of fun,” Julia Benz said.
* **You must be at least 65 to join, and there’s a waitlist almost 50 deep. Then there’s the tryout, overseen by the group’s founder, Dr. Susan Baur, who is the matriarch of the group of grannies at 85 years young.**
* “We’re addicted to vitality. We’re addicted to putting our finger in the socket of life,” said Baur. "The more ponds we clean up the more enthusiastic we get, the happier we get, and it just revitalizes us every dive.”
* **So far they’ve removed around 5,000 pounds of junk from their 60 dives and have towns across the Cape begging for their services.**
* While they’re finding tons of trash, they’re finding out tons about themselves and what’s important to each as they enjoy their golden years.

[https://www.wcvb.com/article/underwater-garbage-grannies-are-stewards-of-cape-swimming-holes/69145074](https://www.wcvb.com/article/underwater-garbage-grannies-are-stewards-of-cape-swimming-holes/69145074)

Underwater garbage grannies are stewards of Cape swimming holes