From tires to shoes: Nova Scotia divers surface with piles of underwater garbage

Sean McMullen found on recent dive at Governor Lake, in Lakeside, N.S. (Paul Hollingsworth/CTV News),

LAKESIDE, N.S. - Sean McMullen and Lynden Morrison spend most of their free time underwater in the ocean, lakes and rivers in Nova Scotia. Their diving work began a few years back when McMullen was searching for old bottles.

“Then I started seeing all the trash and I started taking everything with me,” said McMullen. “And that kind of turned me into an environmentalist.”

McMullen and Morrison met each other several years ago at a Nova Scotia beach and quickly discovered they shared the same passion for diving and environmentalism.

They became friends right away and it soon proved to be an instant forging of a partnership.

Following every dive, Morrison (@coastlinechroniclesns) and McMullen (@saltwater_sean) share videos of their findings on Instagram.

“I really feel a sense of accomplishment when I come out and load the truck and sort it and put the stuff where it belongs,” said Morrison.

After each dive, McMullen and Morrison always come ashore with a treasure trove of garbage.

Tires, shoes, laptop computers, cans, an old-style stubby beer bottle and even a rusty gun.

“I once found a pewter mug from HMCS Nootka, which was decommissioned as a ship in early 1960s,” said Morrison.

They recently dredged up a Mountain Dew pop bottle which was a throwback to the 1980s.

“That bottle is at least 40 years old for sure,” said McMullen.

McMullen and Morrison both said every time they go into the water, it’s fun, environmental and an opportunity to leave their province cleaner and better than the way they found it.

“We are on a mission to clean up Nova Scotia,” said McMullen, who added, they want to raise awareness about pollution and ensure people know some locations in N.S. may look scenic but are heavily polluted.

“There is a trash problem in this province,” he added.

The two divers are trying fix that problem by collecting as much trash as possible, one dive at a time.