"We have 40 members collecting rubbish today," Trung said, "We're all happy to see the seabed clean again."
Trung, who works for a local travel company, has been seen collecting rubbish around Son Tra’s beaches for the past decade. With a special love for the sea, he was also the first to dive and clear the waste from the local coral reefs. Thanks to the support of some friends, Trung set up the Danang Free Diving Group in June this year to call for more people to help make the sea clean.
Dao Dang Cong Trung has been seen collecting rubbish around Son Tra’s beaches for the past decade.
"We now have over 80 members who all share the love for nature, the sea, and especially the beautiful coral reefs in Danang," Trung said. "Besides the love and willingness to help, members should be good at diving."
"The coral reefs in our areas are being threatened by various rubbish created by human activities including fishing nets, and plastic bags," he said. "The reefs can only grow by about a centimetre a year and may easily die from pollution. They are valuable natural resources that we must protect."
A group member, Nguyen Thi Tra My, said that the group usually dive between 3-12 metres deep to gather the waste.
"We divide the work based on the diving skills of each member and have to closely co-operate to properly perform the task," she said.
A South Korean woman, Rally Lee, said that she has been living in Danang for seven years and really loves the local beautiful beaches.
"I immediately joined the group after hearing from Trung," she said. "We can’t stand seeing the graceful coral reefs dying from pollution here."
The rubbish collected from the seabed.
Duong Thi Xuan Lieu, head of the Tourism Management and Operation Department, said that local authorities really appreciate the work of the Danang Free Diving Group to protect the local beaches.
"Those are very meaningful activities to protect the coral reefs," the official said. "Their activities are part of the Clean Up Son Tra campaign that we are carrying out with the support of many volunteers.
Trung said that they would co-operate with local authorities to have more useful activities to protect the environment on the Son Tra Peninsula.