Ghosts, goblins and ghouls may terrify on land, but what scares us most lies beneath the waves. Haunting habitats and endangering marine life, this silent killer doesn’t discriminate, and its victims never see it coming. What is it, you ask, that sends shivers down our spines? Marine debris.

Freakier than Freddy Krueger, marine debris kills thousands of ocean animals and seabirds, chokes coral reefs, smothers critical environments and contaminates beaches and dive sites.

It’s an underwater terror: gently riding ocean currents, marine debris travels to and through the furthest reaches of the ocean in search of its prey. It operates in disguise, luring in marine animals to become entangled in debris or mistake small particles of trash for food – often with fatal results. Not only dangerous to sea life, marine debris is hazardous to human health. Divers, swimmers and beachgoers can be directly harmed by encounters with debris or its toxins.

Scared yet? Here are a few frightening facts:

· As much as 70% of marine litter has been estimated to end up on the seabed.

· All seven species of sea turtles, over half of marine mammal species and almost two thirds of all seabird species have ingested or become entangled in plastics.

· Almost 400 different species in total have ingested or become entangled in marine debris – plastics are the culprit in 92% of cases.

· Plastics cause approximately US $13 billion per year in environmental damage to marine ecosystems.

· And worst of all, as much as 250 million metric tons of plastic could make its way into the ocean by 2025.

The most terrifying part? We created this monster.

But don’t go running for the hills just yet! Divers across the globe are taking action against this undersea beast. Through Dive Against Debris, volunteers are collecting data on underwater trash, mapping its locations and documenting patterns of movement. In order to truly take down this monster, we need your support.

Through your Dive Against Debris surveys, we can collect better data about its sources and impacts, information that can help drive changes in infrastructure and waste management policies at all levels. Together, we can stop the ocean’s silent killer and return to a clean, healthy ocean planet.

Learn more about the Ugly Journey of Our Trash and take action through Dive Against Debris.

5 Scary Facts about the Ocean’s Silent Killer #Halloweenhttps://t.co/GtgA9ZNTGi - Thanks for the photo @MayaPlasspic.twitter.com/VVIADRM88o

— Project AWARE (@projectaware) October 28, 2015

Photos Courtesy of: Maya Plass "Learn to Sea" (left) & Project AWARE volunteer network (right)