Plastic pollution has become a severe problem along India's coastline, and one diving instructor from the city of Pondicherry, southern India says cleaning plastic debris from the ocean bed has become his "daily job."

"We don’t have one day in a year when we don't clean plastic debris from the ocean beds, particularly after rainfall. Once every month we call volunteers to help the clean-up drive," says scuba diving instructor, SB Aravind.

"We also clean the so-called haunted nets - fishing nets that were abandoned by the fisherman becomes a haunted place for the fishes."

Shocking footage from February 2019 shows Aravind collecting wrappers and bags, which can be seen everywhere, displaying the damage that humans are doing to the world's ocean and marine life.

He explained: “Plastic bags look like jellyfish to turtles and they prey and eat them, taking away the turtles life. Likewise, many turtles and the crabs get struck in the abandoned fishing nets and die. Only a few lucky ones have been saved by us when we go diving or cleaning.

"We are working to restore biodiversity. Keeping the ocean beds free from plastic is as important as keeping the land away from plastic."

Aravind is currently collaborating with the local forest department to construct an artificial reef, as a so-called safe haven for the fishes.

Cleaning the plastic debris from the ocean bed is my daily job says a scuba diving instructor from South India

We don’t have one day in a year and all for cleaning the plastic debris from the ocean beds, every day particularly after rain we will do the cleaning work. Once in every month we call volunteers help for the clean-up drive. .
We also clean the so called haunted nets (Fishing nets that were abandoned by the fisherman becomes a haunted place for the fishes) says a scuba diving instructor SB Aravind who hails from Pondicherry

“Plastic covers looks like a jelly fish for the Tortoise and they think it as a prey and eat them. It in turn take away the turtles life. Likewise many turtles and the Crabs also get struck themselves in the abandoned fishing nets and die. Only a few lucky ones have been saved by us when we go for diving or cleaning. Waste collected from the bottom of the ocean included bags, bottles, gutka packets, oil sachets among other things. We are working to restore the biodiversity, plastics come in the way of the process because they choke and kill the corals. Keeping the ocean beds away from plastic is as important as keeping the land away from plastic.

We sometimes work as a team collaborating with Forest department for the clean-up drive. We also construct artificial reef a so called heaven for the fishes. When compared with the past decade awareness has been developed in the usages of plastic but still a lot more need to be improved to save the finned friends”

Completes the diving instructor who is getting ready to go for a clean-up drive for the day.