Managua, Nov 3 (EFE).- More than 50 divers removed 1.6 tons of solid waste, including tractor tires, from the bottom of San Juan del Sur Bay, one of the main attractions for tourists on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast, clean-up organizers said.

A total of 785 items were removed from the bay during the two-day clean-up operation, Dive Nicaragua, which organized the event for the second time, said.

Dive Nicaragua organized a similar clean-up in 2010.

Plastic objects accounted for most of the trash removed, with 363 items; followed by metals, with 171; textiles, with 64; glass and ceramics, with 60; oilcloth, with 55; cardboard, with 27; mixed materials, with 25; and 20 wood pieces, Dive Nicaragua said.

Divers were surprised to find tractor tires up to two meters (6.5 feet) in circumference, the dive school said.

Old tractor tires are used by ships and on piers as bumpers, and when they get loose they sink to the bottom.

Trash found in the bay included bottles, pipes, batteries and even disposable diapers, Dive Nicaragua said.

The trash-removal effort was organized by Dive Nicaragua and the Diving and Marine Ecology School with support from the local government and private businesses.

The amount of waste collected this time around was less than the eight tons of trash the same group picked up in 2010.

San Juan del Sur Bay, located about 140 kilometers (87 miles) southeast of Managua, is one of the places most visited by foreign tourists in Nicaragua. EFE