On the occasion of her participation as a jury member of the video contest at the Galathea festival in Hyères, explorer and underwater videographer Nathalie Lasselin took the opportunity to conduct a cleanup dive in the Great Blue.
For many years, she has heard many reports describing the Mediterranean, often in unflattering terms like « the world’s dirtiest sea, » « very polluted, » « seabeds full of waste »… But hearing the opposite view from local divers and seeing the work done by local stakeholders to raise awareness and educate sea users over several decades, explorer Nathalie Lasselin – used to much colder waters – decided to dive into the relatively « warm » (15°C in November) waters of the Mediterranean to form her own opinion of its condition!The aim is merely to observe the state of the seabed at that location, at that moment, to see what is under the surface. Perhaps we’ll find a lot of waste, which will be the opportunity to remove it. Perhaps we’ll find very little, and in that case, all the better!«
Far from the description of a « garbage sea »
For this dive, the direction was the Langoustier, off the island of Porquerolles, a place very frequented by boats during the summer season. Nathalie, accompanied by 5 other divers, spent an hour on the site searching for litter amidst the seagrass meadows, a few of which were unfortunately damaged, likely due to boat anchors. In the end, the team collected relatively few pieces of waste:il semblerait que l’on soit face à des déchets tombés malencontreusement des bateaux or very old objects that have been there for a long time, reports Nathalie Lasselin returning to the boat, be careful! There might be other places with stronger currents and accumulations, but here, from what I’ve seen, you really can’t say the Mediterranean is a dump. »
Effective measures
This dive, coupled with observations from divers in the region, proves that the work done over decades is bearing fruit:We must continue to take care of this sea, to be extremely cautious, continue raising awareness, but we must not become eco-anxious and give up. There are so many enthusiasts taking care of this Great Blue, and it shows! I want to come back and dive here, seize the opportunity and tell people « look how rich this nature is, » we must continue to respect it simply. concludes the explorer.
Cleanup operations throughout France
Nathalie Lasselin will be the patron of the 25th edition of the Paris Diving Show, from January 11 to 14 next year. On this occasion, she will participate in the challenge Eau’ Défi, a large-scale citizen action aimed at collecting as much waste as possible until the show: 2.5 tons! For this, as the patron of this 2024 edition, you can pick up waste yourself near you, at sea, on beaches, or anywhere else, or participate in one of the many collections organized in partnership with the Sea Foundation and listed on the site A gesture for the sea ! To participate, once the collection is done, go to the dedicated document, declare the quantity of waste collected and attach a photo.
During this outing off Porquerolles, the divers collected 2 kg of waste. A participation that counts, even alongside larger collections!