Wildlife artist shines light on snorkelling beach-clean heroes

Snorkelling Environmental Adventure members ‘take their litter picking duties to the extreme’, swimming out to the most inaccessible of places – beaches and coves that are not possible to reach on foot.

The voluntary group, which includes divers from Scarborough’s Sub Aqua Club, was formed after members regularly came across litter whilst exploring the waters of this coastline.

They meet once a week during the summer to snorkel out to spots impossible to reach even at low tide and anyone with snorkelling experience is welcome to join, although you need to be a good swimmer.

Mr Fuller said: “It always saddens me when people’s neglect of the environment harms wildlife, and nowhere is this more evident than on our coastline, where litter is a constant problem.

“Thankfully, there are groups of volunteers trying to do something about this via regular litter picking and beach cleans.

“Last summer I decided to join the group on an extreme beach clean to find out more. The group is headed up by Edmund Ulliot, otherwise known as Spud, an experienced diver who knows this coastline like the back of his hand. We met at Thornwick Bay near Flamborough, one of my favourite coves.

“A group of around 10 volunteers, all kitted out in wet suits, snorkels and masks, began by collecting litter from the rocks and sand before entering the sea.

"I was taken aback by how much litter and debris was lodged deep in the spaces under the rocks in one of the caves.

"Sadly, a lot the rubbish we collected was debris from the fishing industry, gear such as nets, ropes and buoys lost or washed ashore during storms.

“But more depressing was all the litter left behind by picnickers and beach goers: foam swimming noodles, frisbees, balls, shoes, plastic water bottles and empty food cartons. There were even some plastics, including ear buds, from a sewerage outlet further upstream. And tragically, as we moved through the caves, we also came across both a guillemot and a puffin, lying dead in a tangle of netting. In the past I’ve also seen seals with frisbees around their necks.

“After four hours of collecting up rubbish, we tied all the bags together to form rafts and, towing the bags behind us, swam south to Thornwick Bay.

“I have great admiration for the work these groups do to clean up our beautiful local beaches and I can’t wait to join them again this year.”

Go to www.robertefuller.com to find out more about the work of Robert E Fuller and his gallery.

The artist also posts regular videos on his Facebook page: www.youtube.com/c/robertefuller