Shawn Bath, an unlikely environmentalist who left his work as a commercial diver to devote himself to his passion: Clean Harbours, is the subject of the film Hell or Clean Water. Clean Harbour is a program that patrols the coast, collecting bottles, tires, boat pieces, and other garbage that litters Newfoundland’s harbours.
Shawn Bath, a 21-year-old veteran scuba diver who previously made a living collecting sea urchins from the ocean floor, has made a significant career change. His quest as a scuba diver for sea urchins took him to Newfoundland’s many bays and inlets.
Now, one rotting tire at a time, Bath has dedicated himself to cleaning up the ocean floor. He’s already hauled away 15,000 pounds of trash on his own. These Atlantic harbours have become garbage receptacles, handled with an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality over decades of commercial fishing and tourism. Bath, who made a living collecting sea urchins, confessed to being part of the issue until he could no longer overlook the waste covering the seafloor.
This inspiring story shows the enormity of human-caused environmental destruction and the strength of an individual’s commitment to make the planet a better place, despite being held back by bureaucracy.
This 88-minute Canadian documentary will be premiered on April 29, 2021, at 10.00 am by Hot Docs Film Festival. Directed by Cody Westman. Produced by Jennifer Hawley and Cody Westman of Little Heat Films.
