A dive to help the reefs includes a rock star

Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry focused on combing ocean reefs for trash instead of perfecting guitar riffs Saturday.

The musician was not alone -- he was accompanied by his wife, Billie Perry, and about 85 other divers who dedicated the day to scooping up trash left in the waters off Lido and Longboat keys.

The Perrys, who have a second home on Longboat Key, found themselves with extra time this weekend after an Aerosmith concert in Tampa was canceled because lead singer Steven Tyler has an injured leg.

The pair read an article about the cleanup in a local magazine and decided to put their 25 years of diving experience to work for a noble cause.

"We yanked out a bunch of trash -- everything from a big chunk of fiberglass to 20 feet of rope on an anchor," Joe Perry said. "This is the kind of thing that makes people realize you can't just throw stuff off the side of the boat."

Billie Perry cut out several feet of fishing line from sponges that could entangle other marine life.

"That much line would definitely be hazardous for turtles or manatees," she said.

Strips of rubber, fiberglass, rope, bottles and more fishing line were among the pile of ocean pollution divers removed Saturday.

Mark Rush, a certified dive instructor and owner of Aquarush Diving in Sarasota, arranged the offshore reef cleanup in part because Mote Marine no longer had the means to do it. Mote had organized the event for the last three years.

The cleanup and the after-party helped raise money that will benefit Mote's Center for Coral Research, Rush said.

About 17 percent of the world's reefs are dead and the situation is worsening, Rush said.

Rush said he hopes to expand the event next year.

"The event makes people more aware of the reef, while also bringing the dive community together," he said.

The canceled Aerosmith concert was upsetting news for Atlanta native Wesley Pate, 17, who came to Southwest Florida for the concert but stayed to participate in the dive.

The guitarist said he rarely signs guitars, but made an exception for Pate on the condition that he not sell it.

"I have no intentions to sell this," Pate said, holding up the freshly-signed instrument. "Joe Perry is the reason I picked up a guitar."