Filipino joins Cousteau-backed team to document plastics pollution of Bermuda coasts

Julian Rodriguez CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — You may have already seen Julian Rodriguez as host #16 in the distinguished line of “GAMEPLAN” TV hosts, or you may have seen his name flash among the credits of the international reality TV show “Survivor,” where he worked for four seasons, starting as a challenge tester and eventually working his way up to Assistant Cameraman. You’ll be hearing more about him soon.

The 26-year-old Filipino starting June 8 will join a four-person expedition of adventure-driven individuals on a platform called Plastic Tides.

The Plastic Tides expedition will last 10 days around the island of Bermuda. The team will camp from beach to beach while paddling around solely on stand up paddleboards to document the natural beauty threatened by the ever-growing coastal plastic pollution.

This dream mission was conceived in the fall of 2012 at a National Geographic Young Explorers workshop at Cornell University, when Americans Gordon Middleton, Christian Shaw and Plant Scientist Celine Jennison started talking about the plastic problem that plagues the oceans.

Shaw, who is a professional kiteboarder and avid waterman from New York knew that he wanted nothing more than to raise awareness about ocean plastic pollution through his passion for water sports.

After a year of contemplation on how to fulfill this dream, the idea of a paddleboard expedition was set in motion, and Middleton and Jennison were quick to join the team.

Middleton, who had worked side by side with Rodriguez on the set of “Survivor Caramoan,” called on the De La Salle University multimedia arts graduate when putting together their close-knit team. Rodriguez joined the expedition as photographer and paddle boarder.

Relying solely on stand up paddleboards, the four-person expedition will paddle around the island of Bermuda for ten days, exposing the rampant plastic pollution that threatens the island and the unique and fragile ecosystem in the Sargasso Sea. The expedition is backed up by the prestigious Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau society for their journey.

They envision “putting our bodies and minds on the line to confront an environmental catastrophe” as they combine adventure and hard science to bring fresh awareness to this serious problem.

The Plastic Tides expedition launched from the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo in Flatts, Bermuda, as part of a World Oceans Day celebration and awareness event in collaboration with “Keep Bermuda Beautiful” campaign.

Exploration team on paddleboards

During their journey, they will also be taking water samples to be examined at the Marine Environmental Research Institute as part of the Microplastics Project created by Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (ASC).

Shaw explained: “Our focus will be to determine the presence of microplastics in highly polluted coastal waters, compared with areas further from shore. This will begin the process of determining the risk of micro-plastics in contact with beach and ocean goers, and the coastal ecosystems that harbor many marine organisms.”

He added, “Our distribution of samples will be used to build a data map of the findings. This map can then used by local contributors to the ASC program to reproduce our process. This will eventually result in a reliable data set to identify these risks, and the growth, flatline, or decline of localized microplastic pollution.”

“It is cool because no one before has tried to collect samples, in this way, off paddle boards,” said Plastic Tides’ videographer Gordon Middleton. “The paddle boards are 12-feet long and are made from the same material used to make catamaran hulls. We will be dragging a collection net, called a manta trawl, behind the paddleboards to collect plastic in the water. The advantage of using a paddleboard is that there is no motor to create a wake that can push some materials away from the boat and the collection net.”

Partnering with Bonnie Monteleone of the Plastic Ocean Project and UNC Wilmington, the Plastic Tides team will sample these specially designed manta-trawls that will be towed behind their state of the art catamaran stand-up paddle boards, capable of carrying 500 lbs. of gear and performing in offshore conditions.

A live broadcast will be available online throughout their journey. Plastic Tide’s boards will be outfitted with LED down lighting to provide a rare glimpse of the curious sea creatures they encounter whether day or night. They also intend to provide journal entries before, during and after the expedition.

The Plastic Tides team believes that the Bermuda expedition is just the beginning. Later, they will plan even more expeditions, documenting them both visually and scientifically localized coastal plastic pollution and raising global awareness around this issue.

Shaw said, “We will encourage other groups to plan their own Plastic Tides expeditions with our support in order to grow the awareness of plastic pollution, and impact positive change in our society with the hope of ultimately preserving our natural environments for generations to come.”

For more information see www.plastictides.org. The group also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter,  and Instagram. You can also read more about their kickstarter project at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1202474106/plastic-tides or https://www.cousteau.org/plastic-tides-expedition/