Day 1: Installation and launch of the cleaning operations

The island is impressive; we are welcomed by nesting birds, four species of which are endemic to this island. The team’s ornithologists conduct a preliminary survey to check for nests on the shore to avoid sensitive areas. No risk on that side, nor from the turtles, which have not decided to lay eggs on the beach for now. We can proceed. We choose a camping spot and set up the tarps that will protect us from the sun. At 1 p.m., we have our first meal on site! What joy to have finally arrived here! The work can begin.

An exhausting first day on Henderson Island

A part of the team finishes setting up the camp. We have chosen a shaded area to put our belongings and set up the equipment we will need to survive on this beach during the cleanup. We are very well equipped: tents, mattresses, sleeping bags, tarps, freeze-dried food, insulated water reservoir, gas stove, kettle, solar shower, portable batteries to recharge the photo and video reporters’ equipment, solar panels… We are prepared for any eventuality. Today, the conditions are favorable, and the boat can supply us with water and food. But if the weather were to deteriorate, we could survive autonomously for several days without any problem. We organize into three different camps: a common area with equipment for eating and drinking as well as dry toilets that we made with a container found on the beach, a media area with the recharge station for camera, video, and drone batteries, and a dormitory area with our tents. The island is very welcoming: to our surprise, no mosquitoes, no wasps, or dangerous flies, nothing hostile at first sight.

A second part of the team, soon joined by the first, starts emptying the old bags filled with waste collected and reluctantly left by the 2019 expedition. Among our team, Brett Howell, founder of the Howell Conservation Fund, participated in this first cleanup attempt in 2019. He now finds the big bags torn by time and the elements and indicates their locations. There are 6 tons of plastic collected in 2019 to repackage, including 2 tons of buoys. The old bags are unpacked, the plastic sorted, then repackaged in new big bags that we brought in our backpacks. In half a day, we collect more than 500 kg of plastic waste, much of which will be recycled on our floating workshop.

The Plastic Odyssey awaits the arrival of the first loads a few cable lengths from the beach, in the long and regular swell coming from Antarctica. End of the first day of work. Most of the big bags are ready to cross the pass. They still need to be transported to the passage point located in the middle of the East beach of the island, and then crossed on rafts. The setting sun gives us a little respite, allowing us to rinse off (with seawater) for a pleasant illusion of hygiene. With a mask, we discover the unique beauty of the lagoon protected by the reef: 60 cm trevallies approach to identify us, a turtle swims in the reef pass, gray sharks watch our comings and goings. The water is so clear that we can see for several tens of meters. The coral is impressive, varied, and very colorful. This island is a treasure that we are fortunate to try to protect. We have had the exceptional authorization to land there to remove any trace of human pollution. We must have the least possible impact during our stay. We keep a low profile, realizing that this moment is unique and that we are one of the only teams on earth able to work there for a few days. Our passage must be ephemeral. We will not have a second chance. Everything is happening now. At the base camp, in the red light of our headlamps, we boil water and share a hot and comforting meal. The night falls quickly; we go to bed very early, exhausted. The rest is well-deserved for each one. The first day is already over.