White knuckles gripping the wheel, shouts emanating from up the mast, directions from the bow, the throb of the engine revving up and down, wheel being spun this way and that, the waves slapping against the hull, the wind whistling between the shrouds, and colourful ominous coral heads mere inches below the water surface, slipping by an arms reach off the port beam, then the starboard beam… so close that we can easily identify the colourful flitting clouds of reef fish that inhabit these mushroom shaped pillars towering from the awesome depths. We are navigating our way through the field of coral sentinels guarding the entry to the aquamarine, sand bottomed lagoon, and all the treasures of an uninhabitated coral island available to all bold enough to run the gauntlet of entry.
10 minutes later Khulula is anchored in 2.2m of water, with 2ft of clearance between the keel and the brilliant white sand below. The beauty of this place completely defies description, and being in such shallow water yields a bright, white sheen to everything. The water is so clear that it appears as if Khulula is floating on air, on an interface that is evident only by the warping of the light rays as they enter the fluid wonderland below. Off the stern are a couple of patches of coral, teeming with life. A casual reconnaissance swim with speargun in hand yields a large snapper (which appeared not to recognize the bemasked and beflippered human approaching – evidence of the remoteness of the place: Vanautu snapper are incredibly savvy and spearing one is generally an exercise in futility), a tasty addition to the Yellowfin Tuna and Mahi-Mahi (Dorado) donated by the ocean on the overnight passage from Espiritu Santo.
The spectacular beach beacons to us. Driftwood, coconut laden palms, low lying brush, sand that sears the retinas with its whiteness.
The OceanGybe crew is salivating, and anxious to see what sort of garbage lies on this beach, very rarely visited and completely uninhabited. Any garbage on these beaches came from the ocean, no question… The perfect model for our cause, from the boat it certainly looks completely pristine!
Notsomuch….
Bleach containers, lots and lots of bleach containers, a syringe, lightbulbs, a weathered asthma inhaler, pop bottles and caps, sandals and the soles of shoes whose upper areas had long since rotted away, a half volleyball (could it be Wilson!?), plastic cutlery… All this debris, sitting on the high tide line and baking in the sun, becoming more and more brittle as the UV attacks the plastic. Sure, the chemical bonds in the material do weaken, and the material breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, but never disappears. Digging in the sand in the eddy of the lagoon yeilds a kaleidoscope of colourful material: Small pieces of broken down plastics that have been relocated by the currents in the lagoon, and buried in plastic filled sandbanks in this remote and unassuming paradise. Walking along the beach, making the first footprints in who knows how long the effect and presence of the human race on this earth could not have been more evident, and sobering.
A clean up of 100m of beach, yielded the following inventory:
11 pieces of clear plastic bottles (Pop bottles)
12 opaque plastic bottles, including 5 bleach containers
3 plastic lighters
9 foam sandals, and shoe soles
4 glass bottles, with lids screwed on (buoyuant)
8 pop bottle caps
13 peices of random foam
6 pieces of Styrofoam
55 pieces of random plastic
½ Volleyball
Incredible, isn’t it?
Before leaving on this round the world trip, a good friend of mine, Mr. Fraser Macmillan, a veteran of 30,000 ocean miles and one complete circumnavigation, had the following to say to sum up his impression of perfect tropical beaches: “You know what is wrong with the images of the perfect pacific islands, and what is never portrayed in print and film? The lack of the colourful line of garbage on the high tide line”. Naturally existing Garbage free beaches do not exist. Ocean borne Garbage is everywhere, and as we walked along this picture perfect tropical coral atoll, far away from civilization, Frazer’s words echoed though my head, like they had so often before…
Stay tuned for the YouTube footage of this islands, and a video transit of the high tide line!