FREEDIVERS in Moalboal collected an estimated 40 to 60 kilos of trash, filling about 16 to 18 sacks, during their monthly shoreline cleanup on Monday, February 2, 2026.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu, freediver and Philippine Coast Guard auxiliary member Niccolo Henson said he led the initiative together with the Moalboal Freediving Association.
Henson said around 40 volunteers worked in clusters along the beach, removing mostly plastics, broken glass, discarded slippers, and underwater hazards such as sea urchins and sharp shells near the Mermaid statue to reduce injury risks for swimmers and tourists.
The collected garbage was logged through the Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell app, a global data-collection platform used to track and monitor marine debris worldwide.
SunStar Cebu first reported on the group’s initiative in September 2025, when they began logging collected garbage through the Clean Swell app, an effort that started in August as a small cleanup by a few freedivers. It has since grown into a community-wide initiative.
Henson said the group aims to raise freediving safety standards in Moalboal by institutionalizing internationally aligned protocols while empowering the local freediving community through training opportunities, community programs, and greater representation for local instructors, safety divers, and operators. (CDF)