The low season in Koh Lanta brings a large quantity of debris to the island that is deposited on our beaches and unfortunately not only spoils the view, but also continues the cycle of marine litter. In conjunction with Ocean Divers, we are selecting a different area of the island to clean on a weekly basis.

Our motley team of volunteers took to the beach armed with bags and lots of enthusiasm. Although the weather has been good here for the last few weeks, there were some wild storms in June and it was clear in the damage that had been caused to local businesses.

The really surprising thing commented upon by the volunteers was the quantity of straws recovered. These innocuous items are used by us all every day, but are adding to the detrius that finds its way into our oceans.

We also found a number of rather scary looking toys and a friendly looking spiderman. How do these strange things find their way into the marine environment?

A massive thanks to all that took part and here's hoping to many more clean ups on Koh Lanta.