A group of divers off the Spanish island of Mallorca discovered that the seabed was littered with “thousands of champagne bottles.”

Even though underwater aging is a wine trend, unfortunately empty bottles sometimes end up on the seabed.

Local news agency Mallorca daily bulletin reported that ten divers led by Thomas Heise, President of Eco Projects Mallorca, took part in a cleanup operation off Portals Vells organized by Eco Projects Mallorca.

A total of 450 kilograms of garbage were recovered from the sea during the two days of diving, 80 percent of which was glass. According to the report, a large part of this glass consisted of “thousands of champagne bottles.”

The way the bottles ended up in the Mediterranean can probably be explained by the fact that they were thrown overboard from luxury yachts over the years.

“Back then, people behaved even worse. After parties, they threw the bottles into the water,” says Heise. “And they still throw bottles into the sea without being punished for it.”

The bay of Portals Vells on the eastern tip of the island is a popular anchorage – according to Heise, around 50 boats come here every day.

Heise also announced that there is still a lot to do: only about a quarter of the garbage discovered on the seabed has been removed.

Mallorca is increasingly cracking down on alcohol consumption by tourists. The Balearic Islands recently introduced a ban on alcohol sales in certain tourist hotspots every evening from 9.30pm in order to “correct rude behaviour”.

Occasionally, divers do strike gold and find unopened bottles of the finest French sparkling wine in the sea. One group exploring the Baltic Sea even struck gold while exploring a shipwreck.

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