Hello to all you Hivers!
if you are a Scuba Diver and are heading to the Philippines you'll be spoiled for choice but Moalboal is probably going to be on your Radar. Moalboal is located only 3 hours away from the Airport in Mactan and as such the place is easily accessible. When you arrive this is usually the scene, beautiful clear water and clean. Divers paradise.
It is usually idyllic and clean but from time to time we are affected by incoming waves of ocean plastic trash. I call them TRASH SLICKS. They happen everywhere in asia. No one place is always going to be free from these occurences as theres so much plastic in the ocean.
WHERE DID ALL THIS CRAP COME FROM?
Now the Philippines itself is the 3rd largest producer in the world of ocean plastc right behind China ( number 1) and Indonesia ( number 2 ) and these happen to be close neighbours. So when the winds and currents are just right it comes in. It will be clean one day and then when you wake up the next, garbage everywhere. This all came in yesterday.
YUCK!
SO WHAT DO WE DO? CLEAN IT UP IMMEDIATLY!
It's all very well when people do these beach clean up days but the reality is it's an everyday thing when you are in the business of diving. You'l often see the guides underwater picking things up and sticking it in their pocket also.
Not all the beachfront businesses lift a finger to help unless it's "beach clean up day" which is unfortunate as it needs to be a constant vigil. Should be done all the time and never ignored. See it, pick it up. It's that simple.
So today I am diverting our full attention to this, and only this as it's a lot and needs to be tackled right away.
The mooring lines have trapped a large amount as the current floated the trash against it so we can gather in quite a load before it drifts off and ends up on a beach elsewhere.
EXTRA HELP
Even our friends from the Taiwanese Home Kitchen, that we eat from a lot, volunteered to help. Super nice people and were a great help today.
It can seem like a daunting task as there really is so much of it and a lot of little fiddly pieces that will be very dangerous to marine life.
Turtles quite often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and end up choking to death at worst or consuming the plastic that remains in them which isn't so great either.
Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. This is because I think it is very rewarding knowing what your are doing, even if it is a small amount, is immediately beneficial. It's removed, gone, no longer a danger to the marine life and no more eyesore to everyone.
Some of the local kids joined in. My guys explaining to them that they should never throw plastic into the sea or on the ground. If the message can get to the youth we may have a chance.
We will continue all day as it will be drifting past throughout the day. They are usually isolated trash slicks that come in waves. When the tide goes out we will do a 2nd run and see whats been deposited up and down the seafront here.
Love how my guys just get on with it and even seem to be having fun.
Made a nice dent in it in only 2 hours so far. Imagine with a small crew like this in less than 2 hours we have all this. Sadly alot was seen drifting further down the coast which is why I was happy the mooring ropes held a lot back.
UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNTS OF TRASH
Now in the afternoon whatever has been deposited we will also pick up. More to come I'm afraid but usually in a few days its all clear apart from the usual trash which sadly is everywhere. Remember every day is a beach clean up day.
BEFORE
AFTER
THE GANG
Thanks for reading my post. I hope you will also be picking up what you see wherever you are so it does not also end up in the ocean.
Stay safe out there people wherever you may be on the planet
Ciao!