Authorities in Son Tra Peninsula and other beaches in the central city of Da Nang performed a cleanup on Saturday to protect coral reefs. 

15 standup paddle boards (SUP) from the Da Nang SUP Club were sent out to the Bai Nam area of the peninsula to clean up the coral reefs.

Paddle boards, nets, nylon bags and other trash were found stuck in the coral, damaging them.

A member of the Da Nang SUP Club dives to remove the trash.

Beer cans found amid the coral.

A volunteer brings two beer cans to the surface.

Tuan Dung (L) and Tra Thanh Tu bring a net to the surface.

Nets and other objects stuck in the coral were removed before the corals were returned to the sea.

"I was surprised to see such beautiful coral reefs have so much trash," Dung said. "I hope our small actions would help more people become aware of the need to protect the marine ecology."

In a coral reef near the shore, passers-by also lent a hand to collect the trash.

The Son Tra Peninsula, a popular travel destination in the third most important city in Vietnam behind Hanoi and HCMC, has long been plagued by littering of the coral reefs and other violations by divers.