Am I being unreasonable if I believe that...

[mjh]

Not unreasonable. In fact I and others are trying to get some guidelines out there. Something along the lines of....

Guidelines for Underwater Photographers

1. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
2. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
3. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
4. Do not move, handle, coax or prod any animal to capture an image.
5. Be considerate of your subject. Do not overstress them in getting your image.
6. Do not move, handle, or disturb corals or other living structures to capture an image.
7. Ascertain can the image be captured without coming in contact with any fragile underwater life/structure.
8. No more than one finger on a dead part of a reef or underwater structure to help steady self.
9. Arrange gauges and equipment so it will not catch or come in contact with the reef.
10. Be considerate of fellow divers and photographers.

Keep an eye out in the coming months for some kind of Petition/Sign-up sheet to show divers would like something like this for dive operators to be able to point to so everyone is on the same page and willing dive guides can "gently" pull guest aside to work on buoyancy.

 

[redacted]

Delusional perhaps, but not unreasonable.

How would you propose such a prohibition be implemented and enforced? I doubt if it would be possible or profitable.

 

[annasea]

I'm curious to know how many people who take great-looking pics actually follow this:

Guidelines for Underwater Photographers

1. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
2. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
3. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
4. Do not move, handle, coax or prod any animal to capture an image.
5. Be considerate of your subject. Do not overstress them in getting your image.
6. Do not move, handle, or disturb corals or other living structures to capture an image.
7. Ascertain can the image be captured without coming in contact with any fragile underwater life/structure.
8. No more than one finger on a dead part of a reef or underwater structure to help steady self.
9. Arrange gauges and equipment so it will not catch or come in contact with the reef.
10. Be considerate of fellow divers and photographers.

 

[don Francisco]

You're not being unreasonable considering the conduct you observed, but less skilled divers can use a camera while still respecting the site.

It isn't cameras per se, it's a question of divers' attitudes, and awareness of their abilities. For example a less skilled diver (can't hover) can still shoot on the fly photo's of fishes or turtles in the water column, or limit themselves to sand patches as places to settle for other photo's.

Thoughtless, destructive diving isn't limited to the photo crowd. Lot's of others can't or won't maintain separation from the reef, can't or won't swim near wrecks without kicking up a storm, have no idea where their feet are at any given time, or simply can't resist the urge to feel the pretty stuff.

So, no, you're not unreasonable, but crappy diving is still crappy diving with or without a camera.

 

[Rick Inman]

There are nice folks who really enjoy diving and taking pictures who aren't being selfish or malicious, but have never been exposed to or asked to dive to a higher standard. They just don't know what they don't know. And there is a place for everything.

Many of these kinds of divers drift along behind a watchful Dive Guide in Cozumel every day, snapping pictures of the same critters and each other without a problem. They can fin away and the sand settles right back to the bottom. If they get too close to the reef, the DM pulls them off. Everyone gets in line to take a picture of Charlie the Sea Horse. It's good, and everyone can have fun at any skill level and understanding.

But on a dive site of historical value, where depth and penetration are an issue, where the importance of artifact preservation means that every diver must have their buoyancy nailed, or where silt or visibility or water temperature create a more advanced site, and where a DM is not there every minute to hold the diver's hand, then the dive charters must raise the requirement of skill level. For the safety of the the divers and the sake of the site, a diver's skills need to be assessed, and divers placed on a site appropriate to those skills, IMHO.

 

[Sas]

To the OP, this is not a photographer specific problem in my own experience. There are bad divers everywhere, some have cameras, some don't.

The photographers I know are careful not to screw up the site as silt ruins shots. Also if you scare the marine life, it's not going to make a good shot either as you'll end up with lots of fish tails and similar photos.

I have no issue with people who use a hand to steady themselves (without damage of course), or who kneel in sand without disturbing it for photos. Some types of marine life like to interact too (regardless of whether that is your intent) so I definitely do not support a 100% 'no touching' rule as things like shrimp, octopuses, seals and so on like to play sometimes. Other critters like weedy sea dragons, and other delicate critters should be left well alone.

 

[RJP]

I'm curious to know how many people who take great-looking pics actually follow this:

Guidelines for Underwater Photographers

1. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
2. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
3. Perfect buoyancy before taking a camera down.
4. Do not move, handle, coax or prod any animal to capture an image.
5. Be considerate of your subject. Do not overstress them in getting your image.
6. Do not move, handle, or disturb corals or other living structures to capture an image.
7. Ascertain can the image be captured without coming in contact with any fragile underwater life/structure.
8. No more than one finger on a dead part of a reef or underwater structure to help steady self.
9. Arrange gauges and equipment so it will not catch or come in contact with the reef.
10. Be considerate of fellow divers and photographers.

Absolutely EVERYONE I know or who have ever seen take great pictures follow every single one of those guidelines. I wish people realized that good buouyancy control is the number one factor in taking good underwater photos.

 

[HBO MD]

I have to admit, I'm pretty wary of "Photographic Narcosis".
This syndrome is characterized by a sense of entitlement, which, if left untreated, may progress to organ failure or "FITH Syndrome".....*#~! in the head syndrome. These divers typically lose all sense of self control in a narcisistic binge of self indulgence.:mooner: The only treatment known to work is locking them in a cabin for at least 24 hours with no access to any electronics.Don't respond to any screams as they go through a potentially violent and anti social withdrawal. During this time, their camera is tossed overboard. As a last resort, or is it first? they too are tossed overboard, and you keep the camera.
I honestly have never seen more dangerous behaviour than those guys who ignore all physiological aspects of diving in order to get the perfect shot. Not only do they put themselves in danger, but other divers also by their behaviour .
Chivalry may be dead, but common sense and politeness are severely concussed.

 

[RJP]

Delusional perhaps, but not unreasonable.

How would you propose such a prohibition be implemented and enforced? I doubt if it would be possible or profitable.

Like anything else that's essentially about "manners" and "self-awareness" it's all about "being brought up right" in the first place, and ultimately self enforcement is the key.

 

[diver 85]

bet these same 'divers' walked on the bottom too....