A group of divers gathered at the international fishing pier of Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA, in a garbage collection effort thrown into the sea.
In all, 633 divers dressed their clothes, equipment and oxygen tanks and broke the world record of greater group of people to carry out an underwater cleaning.
The cleaning began around 9am and lasted approximately four hours: almost a ton and a half of debris collected, between plastic bottles, old clothes and even pieces of styrofoam.
Hours after the cleanup ended, divers counted 730 pounds of garbage collected. The next day, the final number hit the home of 1.4 tons.
The city of Deerfield will help in the process of separation and recycling of the debris collected – there is an enormous amount of plastic and glass, which can be redirected to a recycling cooperative.
Divers came from many corners of the world, such as Europe and South America, to attend the annual event hosted by the local dive shop Dixie Divers and the Deerfield Beach Women's Club.
Waste of plastic discarded in the oceans is a threat to marine life. According to data from the United Nations (UN), about 8 million tons of plastic are released into the oceans annually. If this pace does not slow down, by 2050 there will be more plastic mass in the water than fish.
