You dive beneath the surface. A breathtaking, vibrant expanse of turquoise that fades to deep indigo engulfs your vision, shafts of sunlight pierce the water, illuminating schools of flashing silver fish darting between patches of sargassum weed.
However, the beauty is quickly overshadowed by a vast, clouds of microplastic particles, shimmering disconcertingly in the water like toxic glitter, while a discarded plastic fishing net drifts by you slowly. It snares smaller organisms and pulsates slightly as the current moves it. Near the surface, a cracked, sun-bleached detergent bottle bobs alongside a cluster of colorful, shredded plastic bags that look like deadly, synthetic jellyfish, all tumbling together in the buoyant, warm water that should only hold life.