Several of the surfing spots par excellence in Puerto Colombia and Barranquilla have been ruined these days by the presence of literal islands of garbage that have come down from the rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean after several days of heavy rain, respected local surfer Roberto Marulanda told DUKE.

The Puerto Colombia Fire Department published aerial images today of a floating island that was formed with garbage near the municipality's beaches, which makes surfing sessions in places like El Malecón or La V impossible; not only because of the health hazard that surfing there would entail, but also because there is simply so much garbage that it is not possible to ride the waves.

“2019 has been a tough year for pollution on our coast. In mid-March, during a few days of waves, we went to sea and found thousands of dead fish, and the water smelled rotten,” Marulanda said.

“During the dry season, due to the lack of culture in Barranquilla, everyone has thrown all their garbage into the streams, garbage that is not collected by the city's public services. As a result of this, about a month ago, the rainy season began on the coast, which has caused all the garbage to flow into the second largest river in Colombia, the Magdalena,” explained Marulanda.

The Secretary of the Environment along with Triple A announced that they are touring the beaches, reported the local newspaper, The Herald.