The Month of Oceans, which has been celebrated for in Panama for 13 years, aims to raise awareness about the urgent need to change the way we treat oceans. This year’s event has had a vibrant agenda, including dozens of beach clean-ups, marine bird counting, art contests, and a triathlon in the coastal city of Coronado.

On 24 September, certified divers from universities and diving schools removed waste from the bottom of the sea near La Guaira, a Caribbean community in the Portobelo National Park. Local volunteers classified the materials and compiled a report about its composition to the Ocean Conservancy’s database.