Over the years there has been a steady increase in the volume of plastic rubbish being washed up on our pristine South West beaches which is not only a visual eyesore but dangerous to all sea life and the eco system.
This isn't just a local problem but an international crisis due to the amount of waste finding it's way into the ocean and waterways.
We are fortunate to have some of the cleanest ocean and beaches in the world, but if you look closely there's still a lot of rubbish washing up onto our shores, especially during winter months.
Luckily we don't have to surf amongst rubbish like in other countries, however we need to make changes now to avoid further contamination of our most precious resource.
There are so many great organisations such as 'Take 3 for the Sea' and 'The Ocean Clean up' helping to solve this dilemma but it takes a little effort from each individual to make the change.
We can stop using plastic bags from the supermarket, say no to plastic bottles, cups, straws, coffee cups and packaging.
Over 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since it began in the 1950s and only 9 per cent of this plastic has been recycled, the other 91 per cent sits in landfill, floats in our oceans or has been burned.
'We are fortunate to have some of the cleanest ocean and beaches in the world, but if you look closely there's still a lot of rubbish washing up onto our shores, especially during winter months.'
- Joe Jordanoff
It's estimated around 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans every year.
Plastic contaminates our air, land, sea and can enter the human body through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
These statistics are alarming but everyone can make the change and restrict their use of plastics. We don't want the ocean to be so polluted it's dangerous to surf and after all.
As a whole, we can make small changes that will eventually create large changes for the environment so our future generations can also enjoy the waves and ocean.
Surf Forecast
Wind waves in the bay on Thursday with W winds and a 3.2m swell.
Friday looks good with SW winds and a 3.5m swell.
Saturday drops off to 2.7m with W winds while Sunday turns NW again with a 1.9m swell.
Hotspot
Bunker Bay, Friday.
