Colombian freedivers, fans of immersion, help clean the Caribbean Sea

A group of fans watersports decided to make its contribution to the defense of the environment for which they submerge in the waters of the Colombian Caribbean where they organize underwater cleaning days and draw attention to the need to protect the oceans.

The “fish” of apnea, from a sports club in Barranquilla, meet from Monday to Friday to practice swimming in pools or confined waters and reserve weekends to venture into the deepest waters such as those of Taganga, a fishing village near Santa Marta, or in Cartagena de Indias, where they do underwater cleaning.

“We seek to raise awareness that this beautiful thing must be taken care of”says the freediver Elkin Castro, who explains that when they go to the beaches they find them contaminated and with solid waste, a situation caused by the garbage left by tourists, according to what he says.

Castro also denounces that “The problem of plastic waste in the sea is real” and that almost 70% of the waste they extract “They are plastics such as bags, styrofoam, toothbrushes and food wrappers.”

Through sport, this club carries out “different activities to reduce the use of single-use plastics” such as garbage collection, coral planting and awareness through social networks, says the freediver María Camila Atencio.

According to UN data, between 75% and 85% of the garbage in the Caribbean Sea comes from land-based activities and most of it is made up of plastics. Likewise, it is estimated that more than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution due to ingestion, entanglement and other hazards.

Give back to the sea its generosity

Colombia is a tourist destination for diving and is the second most biodiverse country in the world, with coasts on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The country has immersion points such as Cartagena de Indias, the island of Barú and the San Bernardo archipelago, as well as Santa Marta, the Taganga hamlet and the Tayrona National Natural Park, sites frequented by “fish” from apnea.

“We can add part of our breaths to descend to the seabed and extract the waste (…) We do it with a thousand loves because we are developing the sport that we love and we are adding a grain of sand to the solution of this problem”says Castro.

“It’s a way of demanding us,” For his part, says Atencio, who indicates that it is telling the body that it must give back to the sea its generosity with freediving by collecting plastics.

The figures are alarming, according to Greenpeace Colombia, which points out that 1.25 million tons of plastic are produced in the country every year, which is equivalent to 24 kilos of plastic discarded for every Colombian who “They invade cities and contaminate seas, rivers and mangroves.”

More than an extreme sport

“Apnea is that encounter with freedom, I can merge with the water element and it is a moment of intimacy”, indicates Castro, who explains that as mammals close to dolphins or whales “We have certain physiological adaptations that are given to us to be able to practice this sport.”

Its objective “is to add people ”that they accompany him to live these types of adventures because “it is gratifying when other people live this experience and are amazed”.

Atencio declares emphatically: “Freediving is therapy, meditation and concentration. It is the ability to connect with my mind and my being. I manage to converse with myself and with my body”.

“It is an enriching experience because although you know that you are not the definitive solution to the problem, you are part of the solution and thus raise awareness about these actions to take care of the environment”points out.

The freedivers agree that they seek to reach educational, public and private entities to multiply and spread the message of conservation: “It’s no use coming every Saturday to remove garbage from the bottom of the sea if the message has not reached the people who throw it away”they conclude.

Source: EFE