After few weeks of discussion about where to organize my next Beach Cleanup, I ended up realizing that it was right here , at our doorstep, that we should do something! I went to talk to the Azanzi Hotel manager, who promised me to send some of his staff. I got in contact with Theresia, from Zanzrec, the recycling company. She is always willing to help and this project was a good opportunity. I went on making flyers, and deposited them in the surrounding hotels, on the east coast of the island. I put some more of them in town. I needed some tools and accessories that I got from several friends and acquaintaneces

 On this beautiful Sunday, 25th of January, I am waiting on the beach. It's almost 10 in the morning and the volunteers start arriving. We have 3 huge bags provided by Zanrec that we will use to collect al the trash. We have shovels, baskets, mesh bags. And now we also have more than 30 people: hotel guest and staff, residents, local population,( loads of kids) Zanrec and Scubafish team . The high tide was this morning at 07:44 and is now going out, so we will have basically the full day to pick up all the plastic bottle and everything else that is littering the bottom of the lagoon.

Two and a half hour later, we have filled 3 big canvas bags. The harvest is disparate: clothes, plastic, empty cement bags, toothpaste tube lids, and a miultitude of debris of all sorts. All in all, we have collected 156kg of trash, on a surface area of less than 800square meters. The cleanup is a success, unfortunately.

I have organized a special draw for all the participants of today. An innocent hand picks the name of the winner: one of the Azanzi guests who came to give us a hand earlier in the morning. The prize: a snorkeling trip for two, that she and her boyfriend will take tomorrow.

I am already working on a new event: a Dive Against Debris that should happen within the next two months. to be continued.....