Washington, D.C. – On Friday, May 10, U.S.-based nonprofit Ocean Conservancy and luxury watchmaker Breitling will join forces to host a star-studded cleanup of Bali’s Mertasari Beach. Breitling “Surfers Squad” members and world surf champions Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, and Sally Fitzgibbons will attend, along with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and Indonesian rock star JRX. Ocean Conservancy and Breitling have partnered since 2018 to conduct cleanups in marine debris hotspots around the world.

“Bali was a natural choice for this cleanup, as Indonesia is not only one of the countries most impacted by ocean plastic, but its government is among the most committed to finding solutions to the problem,” said Nicholas Mallos, director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® Program. ”It’s also one of the most iconic surf locations in the world, and we are so excited to welcome the Breitling Surfers Squad to participate in this great mission.”

“This cleanup initiative in Bali underscores the power of our partnership with Ocean Conservancy, and our commitment to raising global awareness of its mission and conservation initiatives,” said Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “I would like to thank Ocean Conservancy, all the volunteers, and the members of our Surfers Squad in advance for their mutual fight against ocean pollution on May 10th. It’s a perfect example of how everyone can contribute to a cleaner environment.”

Hundreds of volunteers are expected to gather on Mertasari Beach on May 10 starting at 8:00 AM, and will be provided gloves, trash bags, sunscreen and other supplies before fanning out to collect trash. Volunteers are encouraged to download and use Ocean Conservancy’s Webby Award-nominated smartphone app Clean Swell to log each item they collect. Ocean Conservancy staff will weigh the trash collected and enter the data into Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Trash Index, the world’s largest database on marine debris.

The cleanup results will supplement those collected during Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), which mobilizes hundreds of thousands of volunteers the third Saturday in September to remove trash from beaches and waterways around the world. To date, more than 14 million people have collected more than 113 million kilograms of trash. In Indonesia last year, more than 9,900 volunteers removed over 9,100 kilograms of trash during the ICC.

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ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. www.oceanconservancy.org

ABOUT BREITLING

Breitling is one of the world’s most respected watch brands and, while it has built a large part of its reputation on its links to aviation, it has also created some incredible watches for divers, including the Superocean, which was launched more than 60 years ago and remains a vital part of the Breitling collection today.