12 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Ok so you are on a trip and you are so into your pictures that you fail to realize that you are touching and in some cases actually laying or settling on the reef. In some cases you are kicking to stay off the wall and end up hitting the coral.

However you do not know you are doing it and you are an otherwise good and experienced diver but for some reason your bouyancy is off. Would you want someone to tell you?

Would you expect the DM to tell you or would you penalize his/her tips?

Would you be receptive to someone saying something or do you think others need to just worry about themselves?

Or do you possibly not care believing that others have done their share of damage so the tiny bit you do is miniscule? Or that the pictures you take are worth any small ding here or there that may occur since you will be using your pictures to educate others or for some other very valuable use that should outweigh any small ding to the reef????

Before you reply with the obvious replies of how bad this is...reply from the perspective that YOU are the person that is somehow hurting the reef and how YOU would feel about others approaching you. If they did approach you...how should they do it to remain positive???

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

If you see me doing it, please tell me. I'd rather know, and I will not reduce tips or hold it against a dive buddy for trying to save the reef from damage.

It's helpful it it's done tactfully and in private. Many would take offense if they are corrected in public, or if they are berated about it (even in private). And don't single out one person in the group....if multiple people are having difficulty, correct all of them. Otherwise, the one or two you mention it to will feel picked on.

And I had no idea Cousteau would do something that horrific to a reef!

[Parrotman]

My position on this has changed quite a bit over the years. For the first several years of my diving career I dove with professional photographers. I now carry a camera and take pictures myself. It pretty much boils down to the fact that if you are serious about taking pictures there is going to be a time when you touch the reef with some part of your person being a finger, fin, photo stick or something. It is going to happen. If you are a responsible diver you will do your very best not to harm the reef however at some point it is going to happen. Like the old saying 99 % of divers pee in their wetsuit the other 1% are liars. It is going to happen. For me, if I accidentally damage the reef, I feel terrible about it. I also usually know that I did it. It is pretty hard not to notice when you have bumped the reef. I don't need someone telling me what I did. However, if I had a gage come lose and it is hanging and bumping the reef I would want some one to tell me. If I had a piece of gear that was bumping the reef, I would want someone to tell me. We can't really see how our profile looks and there could be something hanging and bumping. I would venture to say that a person that considers themselves serious and or professional photographers that spend many thousands of $ on equipment. Many more $$$ on the trip, are going to get the best shot. If it means that they are touching the reef or moving sea life into a more photographic position, they are probably going to do it to get the shot.

The diver that is carrying a disposable point and shoot that has a gauge hanging and dragging along the coral is too oblivious to care and telling them most likely won't make a difference.

If I am diving and taking pictures and I am inadvertently touching something then I would appreciate my buddy or DM tapping me and pointing out where I am touching the reef but after the fact I really do not see the point.

I will say that there are a few divers that I dive with and or have been diving with that I respect completely and would not take offense at their comments but these people are few.(LLDN is one of those diver) Most divers that say something have no business opening their mouths. They need to look in a mirror first.

If you are an absolutely perfect diver. Are flawless in your buoyancy control. Take national geographic quality pictures. Have never touched the reef in your diving career. Then by all means tell me that I am doing something less than perfect.

While I am on this soap box I will also say that I don't even want to hear a comment coming from someone that supports dive ops or locations that knowingly allows the slaughter of sea turtles, the over harvesting of Conch, selling of black coral jewlery, serving grouper on the menu at the resort, I could go on. I think that these actions are way more offensive than an occasional bump of the coral.

Jim

[peterbj7]

I'm in an unusual position, as someone who has the responsibility for training divers not to do this (like all instructors and good DMs) plus the legal responsibility as an official Tour Guide here in Belize to stop anyone I see doing it, whether or not I'm officially diving with them.

That said, despite my fairly high dive count I've done this myself, and more recently than I like to admit. On a night dive a few years ago I backed into a fan coral and broke it. I don't think I've done any damage since, but I have touched places I shouldn't have even quite recently. It happens to all of us. All we can do is train and learn as well as we can, and then try to concentrate when it matters. When (not if) the unfortunate happens we should be grateful to be told, by anybody who happens to see, and we should learn to be contrite no matter what our experience and qualifications.

On actual practicalities, if you're diving with conventional scuba and find you've stumbled somewhere you shouldn't have, you should use buoyancy (lungs) to float slightly clear (just a foot or so - I'm not advocating lung over-expansion!) before swimming carefully away, using feet or hands as is most appropriate. A good diver should be able to scull backwards with the fins, and a really good diver should know when not to move the fins at all. The technique is different for people using rebreathers, but they should know that for themselves.

[AnemoneAmy]

As a newer diver, I don't think I am ready to have a camera in my hands. I think it is very important to learn how to control your position without having something so distracting. I would always want to know if I accidentally touched the reef. I agree with Peter that the best way to back off is slightly filling your lungs. Most problems I have seen are due to fins kicking.

This is a great topic to discuss...it is important to try your best to protect the reef you came to enjoy, and to have the understanding that the buddy system is set up so that you can help one another. Your buddy can be your eyes to tell you when there is a problem. Diving is a skill we did not learn to do naturally, so everyone has room for improvement and feedback is a wonderful thing when we all have respect for one another.

[Itsa]

As a newer diver, I don't think I am ready to have a camera in my hands. I think it is very important to learn how to control your position without having something so distracting. I would always want to know if I accidentally touched the reef. I agree with Peter that the best way to back off is slightly filling your lungs. Most problems I have seen are due to fins kicking.

This is a great topic to discuss...it is important to try your best to protect the reef you came to enjoy, and to have the understanding that the buddy system is set up so that you can help one another. Your buddy can be your eyes to tell you when there is a problem. Diving is a skill we did not learn to do naturally, so everyone has room for improvement and feedback is a wonderful thing when we all have respect for one another.

I definitely agree with Amy. I cut my leg on coral during my first dive because I had no idea how much exhaling a deep breath in the water would make me sink! While there is no way I'd take on the additional task of having a camera with me just yet, I would prefer to know that I was hitting coral so that I could make adjustments. That said, as a beginner I hope that someone would approach me in a kind and helpful manner rather than being indignant.

[Capn Jack]

Guilty of both - touching and terrorizing touchers. I went so far at one point to carry my dive buddy around by her yoke valve after she ignored my repeated urgings to stay off the reef and grabbing at everything (a random boat buddy I was paired with -not an SD person)so I'm a probably one of those a**h**es people hate.

Anyway - I really want to be told - and I don't mind being thwacked...

[Divegirl412]

I try to be very careful and avoid touching the reef. I will abort a picture or even a look-see if I feel I am not in total control. However, I, like everyone else am not perfect. I have occasionally accidentally touched or kicked where I did not want to.. including other divers. If I am damaging the reef, I would want to be told. I am usually conscious that I made a mistake, and would not repeat it anyway.

As far as telling others, I watch for a pattern. Lying or standing on the reef even once is not acceptable, and I will say something, preferably underwater, and if not.. above water. An occasional touch of the reef, I usually will let go..unless I see the individual has a pattern of doing it during the dive. Then I will say something.

It is unfortunate that a lot of the divers who have a lack of respect for the reef with poor diving patterns WILL penalize the dive staff if they say something. I have pointed out many times to dive staff a poor diver who is damaging THEIR reef. And they shrug and do nothing. (Except Wakatobi, where they are very zealous about protecting their reef and shore line grasses). The irony is that the diver who does so much damage unknowingly or uncaringly probably would also not care about their dive staff and wouldn't tip anyway.

[uwfan]

A quiet word to me... I'd appreciate it. I finally broke down and bought a digital camera and housing and this last week got to use it, and found my fins occasionally where I didn't want them to be and realized just how close to the reef I might get trying to catch just the shot I wanted, and while I think I was careful I can see how focused you can get shooting something. I also managed to lose my octo necklace and had to tuck my octopus away repeatedly on a couple of dives... so if it was dragging, I'd want to know. Just a word or two, what I was doing without a whole long speech. Nobody's perfect.

[peterbj7]

People coming to Belize next month will be making some dives in marine parks, where it is forbidden by law to wear gloves. The logic is that people wearing gloves are far more likely to touch coral.

[WreckWench]

People coming to Belize next month will be making some dives in marine parks, where it is forbidden by law to wear gloves. The logic is that people wearing gloves are far more likely to touch coral.

It has been my experience that more people are likely to touch the coral with gloves on. Sadly too many touch it without gloves...but at least it is less.