Responsible Diving

Ready to backroll, Puerto Galera

As I was on a dive last week with a diver who bumped, scraped, scratched, and killed the coral in his path, I got to thinking about being a responsible diver.  I watched as his fins scraped across a gorgeous soft coral, leaving a permanent scar.  Unfortunately I was unable to grab his fins and shame him.  A diver is taught to streamline their bodies and touch nothing, although many divers still choose to touch the marine life and a few even go so far as to do really foolish things like carve their initials into the coral like a tree.  Some dive masters will poke fish so that the divers can get a show.

In big scheme of things, not a very large percentage of people dive.  So, those who are lucky enough to experience the fascinating, alien underwater world should take it upon themselves to only make an impact on the ocean life in a positive way.

Sea turtle, Apo Island, Philippines December 2012

Three of the simplest things to do (on top of the dive rules of streamlining and touching nothing...)

1. When you see rubbish in the sea, take it with you.  I've dedicated each dive to clean up - it's one of the most simple things to do.

2. Do your research about available dive shops prior to travel - are they eco-conscious or will they do whatever it takes to show their divers a good time?

3. Don't buy coral jewelry.

On a happy note, shark fin soup was recently banned from official banquets in Hong Kong.  It's a great step forward in saving millions of sharks from unnecessary death each year.

Here are a few underwater shots from last week...

Alma Jane wreck, Puerto Galera 

Alma Jane wreck, Puerto Galera 

boxfish, Puerto Galera 

huge starfish, Puerto Galera