5 MIN READ
04-08-2025
Three Days, Thousands of Pounds of Trash, and One Lucky Turtle
Ahmad Fasta, 4ocean Jembrana Content Correspondent
They felt it before they even saw it.
For days, whispers of rising trash in the west had been building—plastic debris drifting closer with every tide. When the 4ocean Jembrana crew finally reached Gilimanuk Beach, their worst suspicions were confirmed. The entire coastline, stretching seven kilometers to Melaya Beach, was blanketed with waste: plastic cups, dolls, sacks, PET bottles, styrofoam—everything the ocean didn’t ask for, but got anyway.
It was heavy. Not just physically, but emotionally. But the team didn’t flinch.
On Day One, the crew covered four kilometers on foot, hauling every piece of plastic they could find under the hot sun. The sacks kept filling up until they ran out. By sunset, they had collected 58 sacks weighing 2,325.78 pounds—and they were just getting started.
Midway through the day, something stopped us in our tracks: a big green sea turtle, tangled up in rope and plastic, washed ashore. It looked exhausted. We quickly helped free it and let it rest. After a few minutes, it perked up a bit, so we gently released it back into the ocean. We named it Jufrin. Swim free, buddy.
Day Two brought backup. Twenty-nine crew members fanned out across the beach like clockwork. Each had a zone, each with a mission. It was methodical, urgent, relentless. Halfway through the day, the ocean reminded them why they were there.
A green sea turtle washed ashore, tangled in rope and plastic.
It was exhausted and barely moving.
The team moved quickly, untangling the debris and letting the turtle rest. Minutes later, it stirred. They named it Jufrin, gently returned it to the sea, and watched it swim away.
The cleanup resumed, but now there was something more—a personal reason.
Day Two ended with 6,219.06 pounds of trash removed.
On Day Three, the crew returned more fired up than ever. They walked the final stretch, each step lighter, each sack heavier, knowing they were making a real difference.
They ended the mission with 11,828.61 pounds of waste removed in just three days.
“What should’ve been a beautiful coastline was covered in trash,” one crew member said.
“It’s not just an eyesore—it’s a real danger to marine life. Just like what happened to Jufrin. We still can’t imagine what would’ve happened if we hadn’t been there.”
The cleanup wasn’t easy. Long distances. Blazing sun. Heavy sacks filled with sand. But that didn’t matter to this crew.
They were powered by purpose. By grit. By a deep, unwavering love for the ocean.
