Miners like Hendra are drawn to the sea.

The 51-year-old used to work on the tin mines inland.

Today, however, vacuuming sand from the seabed seems more lucrative in order to get to the sought-after metal.

“On land the income is getting smaller and smaller, there are no more reserves in the earth.

There is still a lot to be gained in the ocean, ”he says.

About a year ago he switched to the floating mines in the ocean.

The pontoons often join together to form floating islands. What looks like from the movie Waterworld are small mines at sea. With the help of suction dredgers, the sand is lifted from the seabed up to a depth of 20 meters and then washed out directly on the sea. Hendra, who like many Indonesians only uses one name, oversees six such pontoons. He is employed by a company that has an official license to mine tin.

The workers get between 70,000 and 80,000 rupiah per kilogram of sand, which corresponds to about $ 4.90 to $ 5.60. A single suction dredger can move 50 kilograms of sand a day. It is a lucrative business for many residents. The tempting money and rapid growth also attract many who illegally mine the sand. That annoys the state and, of course, Hendra too. 

On the other hand, the area's fishermen and environmentalists are not very happy with the activities on the water. Many of the coastal residents complain that their catches are poor or that their nets are being destroyed by the suction dredgers. Up until now people made a good living from fishing on the coasts. Environmentalists worry about the mangrove trees off the coast. However, the rising tin prices remain an incentive for many to continue digging for the valuable sand off the island of Pulau Bangka.