When most people think of the ocean, they envision a landscape of crystal blue and foamy white waves crashing upon the shore. These photos, however, relay a dismal reality, one that should hopefully prompt millions to change their unsustainable habits today.
As has been relayed before, approximately 80% of all plastic that’s tossed into landfills ends up in the world’s oceans. As a result, hundreds of thousands of marine wildlife die annually from ingesting particulates and larger pieces of plastic that shouldn’t have been discarded in the first place.
To make matters worse, hordes of are trash now floating in garbage patches across the Pacific Ocean – the largest which is 2x the size of Texas.
These statistics are mind-numbing, but they’ve done little to quell mankind’s habit of using plastic and discarding trash at an unthinkable rate. Perhaps the following photos will change that, however.
While on a recent trip to Nusa Lembongan, off the coast of Bali, photographer Nick Pumphrey was able to see first-hand how bad the plastic pollution problem has become. An ambassador for Take 3, a non-profit focused on raising awareness for oceanic pollution, his original intent was to capture images of the stunning Manta Rays. Plastic got in the way, however.
After diving underwater, it became clear that something far more dangerous than sharks lurks underwater…
A local captain told him that local rains washed a majority of the island’s trash into the water.
While Pumphrey was able to capture a shot of a Manta Ray, the image wasn’t what he hoped for as the creature was overshadowed by the garbage.
Remember, just because you throw something away does NOT mean it goes away.
An estimated 700 marine species are in danger of extinction to due to the threat plastic poses in the form of entanglement, ingestion, and general pollution. Please be aware of this fact as you go about your day and are presented with multiple choices to use plastic or invest in sustainable alternatives.
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