floating debris

Floating debris and "poisonous substances" are listed as other potential dangers lurking in the waters.

"When I attended the one-year anniversary event I learned that there was no organised search of shorelines for floating debris. It simply hadn't been done. They were spending millions of dollars back then searching underwater. And I just thought, well, probably the first piece of this plane is just going to be found by someone walking on the beach. And since nobody was doing that, I thought I could do it myself."

While more ambitious projects are underway to scoop up huge accumulations of floating debris in deeper waters, small-scale coastal cleanups like Zelek’s are an important part of the battle against ocean pollution, said Nick Mallos, vice president of conservation for Ocean Conservancy.

In a similar accident on Thursday, a wooden ferry boat struck floating debris at sea and took on water off Polillo island in the northeastern province of Quezon.

In a similar accident on Thursday, a wooden ferry boat struck floating debris at sea and took on water off Polillo island in the northeastern province of Quezon.