The underwater litter heroes
Taking clean-ups to new depths, the divers tackling waste beneath the waves
waste collectors usually require little more than a litter-picker and a few bin bags.
But anyone thinking of joining Neptune’s army of Rubbish Cleaners might also want to pack a wetsuit and oxygen tank – since they are Britain’s first charity dedicated to underwater litter-picking.
taking the public-spirited pastime to new depths, NaRC has organised more than 1,000 clean-up dives around the coast of Pembrokeshire, west wales, in the 14 years since it was formed.
In that time, volunteers have found all manner of objects while trawling the seabed, including a kitchen sink.
Its organisers support the tidy Britain Group’s Great British spring Clean, which is backed by the Daily Mail.
NaRC aims to raise awareness of the litter in our seas after seeing first hand the devastating impact that rubbish found around the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is having on wildlife.
David Jones, who has been with the charity since 2008, said that as well as finding the usual haul of plastic bottles and drinks cans, fish are regularly found in discarded fishing nets.
He said the seabed was often thought of as ‘out of sight, out of mind’ by homeowners, resulting in anything from cars to shopping trolleys and tyres being discovered along the stunning coastline.
the 45-year-old, from Haverfordwest, worked as a diving instructor in thailand, the Cook Islands and New Zealand before settling in wales.
‘I have been lucky enough to dive in some pretty beautiful places and I would class Pembrokeshire as one of them,’ he said. ‘we have really important marine animals and seabirds and it is a special place – so I wanted to be able to give something back.’
NaRC’s five trustees and 20 regular volunteers give talks in schools to educate children about the impact of dropping litter.
Mr Jones added: ‘the Great British spring Clean is great. there has never been so much interest in the environment and litter-picking, which is definitely down to the “Blue Planet effect”.
‘there has been a step change in the public consciousness and people are really wanting to do something and make a change.’
some 536,994 volunteers have now signed up for the Great British spring Clean, which runs until april 23. More than 4,000 tons of litter has so far been picked up from towns, cities, beaches and the countryside. to sign up, go online to gbspringclean.org.
the president of the seychelles, Danny Faure, dived to 400ft in a miniature sub to deliver a speech pleading for stronger protection for the world’s oceans.
He joined scientists from a Britishled charity, the Nekton research institute in Oxford, who have been documenting the health of the Indian Ocean. Mr Faure said: ‘this issue is bigger than all of us and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it.’