Pollution off Bali’s lovely holiday coast exposed: A sea of plastic (video)
A British diver has captured horrifying footage of plastic pollution while swimming in coastal waters near Bali. On March 3, Rich Horner posted a 2.5-minute clip on YouTube, and it has had more than 1.1 million views since then.
The footage is revolting, with Horner swimming through a literal sea of plastic. Pieces of plastic brush up against his body and catch on his camera. The water looks clouded and the surface of the water above is clogged with a mat of junk. Some of this is natural material, he explains.
“The ocean currents brought us in a lovely gift of a slick of jellyfish, plankton, leaves, branches, fronds, sticks, etc.. Oh, and some plastic. Some plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic sheets, plastic buckets, plastic sachets, plastic straws, plastic baskets, plastic bags, more plastic bags, plastic, plastic, so much plastic,” Horner said.
The place where he was diving is called Manta Point, off the coast of an island called Nusa Penida, located 20 kilometers from Bali. Manta Point is a famous cleaning station for manta rays which go there to be rid of parasites by smaller fish, but the video shows only one lone ray in the background.
The following day, the plastic was gone, but Horner said it’s merely on its way elsewhere.
“Great for the mantas coming in for a clean at the station, but, sadly the plastic is continuing on its journey, off into the Indian Ocean, to slowly break up into smaller and smaller pieces, into micro plastics. But not going away.”
Indonesia is now considered the second most polluted nation in the world, next to China. Bali, which has long been viewed as a paradise destination for holiday makers, has been developing a reputation for excessive pollution, resulting in many tourists not wanting to return. Beach cleanups are gaining traction, but the massive pollution of the oceans is a problem that beach cleaning will not solve; it must be addressed at the source.
A British diver has captured horrifying footage of plastic pollution while swimming in coastal waters near Bali. On March 3, Rich Horner posted a 2.5-minute clip on YouTube, and it has had more than 1.1 million views since then. The footage is revolting, with Horner swimming through a literal sea of plastic. Pieces of plastic brush up against his body and catch on his camera. The water looks clouded and the surface of the water above is clogged with a mat of junk. Some of this is natural material, he explains. "The ocean currents brought us in a lovely gift...
A British diver has captured horrifying footage of plastic pollution while swimming in coastal waters near Bali. On March 3, Rich Horner posted a 2.5-minute clip on YouTube, and it has had more than 1.1 million views since then.
The footage is revolting, with Horner swimming through a literal sea of plastic. Pieces of plastic brush up against his body and catch on his camera. The water looks clouded and the surface of the water above is clogged with a mat of junk. Some of this is natural material, he explains.
“The ocean currents brought us in a lovely gift of a slick of jellyfish, plankton, leaves, branches, fronds, sticks, etc.. Oh, and some plastic. Some plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic sheets, plastic buckets, plastic sachets, plastic straws, plastic baskets, plastic bags, more plastic bags, plastic, plastic, so much plastic,” Horner said.
The place where he was diving is called Manta Point, off the coast of an island called Nusa Penida, located 20 kilometers from Bali. Manta Point is a famous cleaning station for manta rays which go there to be rid of parasites by smaller fish, but the video shows only one lone ray in the background.
The following day, the plastic was gone, but Horner said it’s merely on its way elsewhere.
“Great for the mantas coming in for a clean at the station, but, sadly the plastic is continuing on its journey, off into the Indian Ocean, to slowly break up into smaller and smaller pieces, into micro plastics. But not going away.”
Indonesia is now considered the second most polluted nation in the world, next to China. Bali, which has long been viewed as a paradise destination for holiday makers, has been developing a reputation for excessive pollution, resulting in many tourists not wanting to return. Beach cleanups are gaining traction, but the massive pollution of the oceans is a problem that beach cleaning will not solve; it must be addressed at the source.
