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This is Hulhumalé. This is our lagoon. And this is one of the first and last things many diving tourists see of the Maldives.

This is the harbour used by many of the liveaboards operating in the Maldives. Guests arrive here to board their boats and return here at the end of their trips.

And far too often, this is what greets them.

Plastic bottles, bags, packaging, polystyrene and other rubbish floating and accumulating along the harbour and lagoon.

We sell the Maldives to the world as a pristine ocean destination. Crystal-clear water. Coral reefs. Mantas. Sharks. Incredible marine life.

Then we bring our guests to a harbour surrounded by trash.

This isn't hidden somewhere out of sight. Tourists, dive crews, boat operators and everyone using this harbour see it.

Plastic pollution doesn't disappear because we stop looking at it. Once it enters the ocean, it can spread, break down into smaller pieces and become part of the marine environment we depend on.

We can run clean-up campaigns. We can talk about sustainability. We can make environmental pledges.

But surely the most basic starting point is this:

Keep our own lagoons and harbours clean.

The Maldives depends on the ocean. Our tourism industry depends on the ocean. Our image around the world depends on the ocean.

We should not be showing visitors paradise in the brochures and this when they arrive.

📍 Hulhumalé, Maldives

#Maldives #PlasticPollution #OceanPollution #MarineDebris  #MaldivesTourism
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