British diver films video showing sea of plastic rubbish off Bali

Footage shows Rich Horner swimming through food wrappers and waste

A British diver filmed himself swimming through a sea of plastic off the coast of Bali.

Making his way through the water littered food wrappers and plastic waste, Richard Horner barely sees a sea creature as he dives off the Indonesian island's Manta Point.

“Plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic sheets, plastic buckets, plastic sachets, plastic straws, plastic baskets, plastic bags, more plastic bags,” Mr Horner wrote on Facebook, after posting the video.

The area is a cleaning station for large rays and the video shows Mr Horner swimming above a manta ray, which appeared to be keeping itself below the plastic which was near the surface.

“Surprise, surprise, there weren’t many mantas there at the cleaning station today...They mostly decided not to bother,” Mr Horner said.

Plastic is particularly dangerous in the water as it can enter the food chain.

Once filter feeders swallow large amounts of water, with the intention of eating plankton, they also ingest tiny plastic particles.

This can block the ability of some whales and sharks to absorb nutrients.

Indonesia is one of the world’s worst plastic polluters, and is believed to be responsible for 10 per cent of the planet’s waste.

The capital city Jakarta features multiple rubbish dumps and it is common to see plastic floating in the city’s few waterways.