Hell or Clean Water
The inspiring story of one Newfoundlander’s obsessive quest to clean up the coastal ocean floors
Streaming now on CBC Gem.
A former fisherman who just 10 years earlier thought nothing of tossing garbage out of his truck window, Shawn Bath has an epiphany when he starts diving the harbours of his native Newfoundland. While hunting for sea urchins, he finds ocean floors covered with debris – truck tires, boat parts, fishing equipment, ghost nets and "disposable" plastics of every description.
Realization quickly turns to obsession, as Bath quits his day job and dedicates himself to cleaning up the rotting mess. He begins single-handedly hauling out thousands of pounds of tires and countless bags of trash. With no help from the government and only meagre online donations, he soon finds himself with less than $10 in his bank account, creditors calling daily and a stressed relationship with a supportive but very concerned girlfriend. But in the face of all this, the one thing that Shawn Bath never loses is hope, and that's what makes it possible for one man to start something that just might change the world.
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