I remember my first steps on the beach, the sand slipping through my toes and the warm breeze drifting by as I stared out a seemingly endless ocean. From my very first time I was in love with the water. I was intoxicated by the gentle rock of the wave on my legs and the soft sound of the waves stroking the shore.

It wasn’t much longer before I became entranced with marine life. The adrenaline rush of seeing a leopard shark, within arms’ length made my heart race. This brought me back again and again. I found myself beginning to study sharks and observing them as I went out into the surf with snorkeling gear on. As I went I began seeing more and more creatures appear. I began to see sea-turtles, sting rays and a wide variety of other fish. I fell in love with everything in the water, I spent all the time I could in the waters of the beach, but it still wasn’t enough.

But the beauty of the beach soon faded, one day while snorkeling a plastic bag struck me in the face. It was as if I had woken up from a wonderful dream to a harsh reality. As I began climbing out of the water I noticed that the beach was covered in trash, I must’ve been so focused on getting into the water that I didn’t care to look around. I was appalled by the sight of trash scattered along what I thought was a beautiful beach.

I was on a mission to fix the problem of the trash in the surf. I started small with family cleaning up sections of the beach at a time. But the trash remained when we came back the next time. I began having friends come with and started cleaning more and more sections. The impact was barely visible, but as the installation of new trash cans around the beach (after seeing our struggle and the negative impact of the litter on the wildlife) the trash became a smaller amount each and every time. Along with good company and a united goal, the beach became a popular spot once again.