Plastic in the reefs

Plastic in the reefs

Diving in Bali is stunning, as everybody says. I experienced some diving in Lembongan, Amed, and found that the experience matched the descriptions of the beauty of diving in Bali. That was a year ago.

The effect of diving touched me personally. I was able to get acquainted with many divers, meaning many new friends. My environmental consciousness also grew. Coral was no longer just Cousteau programs: It became real. And, just as Cousteau goes back for further expeditions, diving became one of the reasons why Bali is beautiful for me -- even though the diving I did was only of the tourist kind.

Recently I went to dive at Menjangan Island, which had been highly recommended by some diver friends. The experience was different from what I had expected: Apart from fish and beautiful coral, the sea was also full of plastic bags, hanging around like fish. The plastic bags were dancing poetically but they shouldn't have been there. I was so shocked. I realized that I had also experienced diving among plastic bags in Legian, Bali. Is anybody protecting these beautiful spots from plastic?

I wish I could, but what a tourist can do, apart from writing a letter?

EVE LENDI

Denpasar, Bali