Hands off the marine creatures. Just a small rant.

[Walter]

Interesting discussion.

It is a good idea to pull yourself along a wreck. I've never found it necessary to kill creatures in the process, but hand pulls on a wreck in current is sometimes necessary and finger pulls inside a wreck is a great way to avoid a silt out.

Touching critters is a different issue. There is no right or wrong blanket method. There are lots of creatures you can touch which does no harm to the animal or to the diver. I touch them frequently. Touching others will hurt you or the animal. Sometimes how or where you touch can cause harm. If you aren't sure, don't touch.

Octopus is like fish. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Octopus, like fish is singular and plural. Multiple species becomes fishes and octopuses. Octopi is an acceptable (but not preferred) alternative. Octopi came into use because octopuses sounds funny. OTOH, octopuses is much more fun to say. Live a little, drop octopi from you vocabulary and use octopuses.

 

[Raven C]

chrispete once bubbled...
I've witnessed an UW photographer whack a porcupine fish multiple times over the head with a large light to try and get it to inflate. After the dive I mentioned (it was a diver with the group that I was leading) quietly that stressing the wildlife wasn't the best thing for them, and he might want to take this into account. He didn't take it very well and basically said that the critters were lucky that he didn't have a speargun with him. We don't get along very well anymore.

How did you keep from whacking the photographer in the head to show 'em how it feels? Shesh.

I think it is important to really use your eyes when you dive and look carefully. First of all, you miss so much if you don't. Secondly, you can notice where is it safe to place a hand or finger if necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to touch. I like pointing and not touching.

I remember diving a wreck off the coast of GA and seeing these little spider like creatures for the first time. If you didn't pay any attentions, they would look like a sort of weed/plant growth but at close inspection they were actually little animals. They looked just like black spiders. However, they were very delicate. They were really cool.

I remember learning very quickly that those cute little puffer fish are very dangerous before diving with them. And, they will try to intimidate you. They get right up in your face to see who's in that mask. I really think that if you dive with them regularly they recognize you. That's one fish I don't point around. As a matter of fact, I keep my hand in a fist. LOL Don't want to lose a finger. I protect my hands around those cute little guys faster than any shark.

Another one to watch is turtles. I trust a cuda more than them. LOL Yep Sometimes, it isn't the ones you think you should watch out for as much as it is the ones you think are so cute or harmless. Respecting them all is the key. A nurse shark will strike if you stress it. Besides, would you want to be poked and irritated? Me neither. R

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

Walter once bubbled...
Interesting discussion.

It is a good idea to pull yourself along a wreck. I've never found it necessary to kill creatures in the process, but hand pulls on a wreck in current is sometimes necessary and finger pulls inside a wreck is a great way to avoid a silt out.

Touching critters is a different issue. There is no right or wrong blanket method. There are lots of creatures you can touch which does no harm to the animal or to the diver. I touch them frequently. Touching others will hurt you or the animal. Sometimes how or where you touch can cause harm. If you aren't sure, don't touch.

Octopus is like fish. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Octopus, like fish is singular and plural. Multiple species becomes fishes and octopuses. Octopi is an acceptable (but not preferred) alternative. Octopi came into use because octopuses sounds funny. OTOH, octopuses is much more fun to say. Live a little, drop octopi from you vocabulary and use octopuses.

Well, this is an interesting topic and discussion and could go on and on with everones opinion.

But one thing your wrong about is the Octopi vocab. I say this because my wife has a Masters in Literature from the University of Kentucky. Of course I'm not a UK boy I'm a U of L boy and she could be wrong. But Octopi is what you always here and read when dealing with the plural of Octopus. 99% of the time.

 

[Walter]

.........but that's not what my references tell me. I have difficulty accepting grammer advice from anyone who uses "here" for "hear."

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

I brought it up, someone at a dive site corrected me the night before when I mentioned we saw 3 octopi. In a tongue-in-cheek way they said the new hep-cat annunciation would be 3 octopus. So instead of detracting further from the thread let me just say that both are correct, one is just less hip. Geezsh, maybe you guys need a hobby,

Go dive,
Cd

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

Walter once bubbled...
.........but that's not what my references tell me. I have difficulty accepting grammer advice from anyone who uses "here" for "hear."

Hey man, I told you we went to school in Cantuckkey (Kentucky).

 

[DiverBuoy]

Jambi once bubbled...
NWGratefulDiver

Great info, thanks. I suppose you could chock this up to one more thing they should teach you in OW class. After seeing this thread I cannot recall my instructor ever mentioning delicate sea life. We were only taught not to touch sea life because it might hurt....I thought all that stuff was just underwater moss and stuff....said the OW student to the instructor.

Jambi

I give him/her an F -

 

[WJL]

Walter once bubbled...
.........but that's not what my references tell me. I have difficulty accepting grammer advice from anyone who uses "here" for "hear."

or "grammer" for "grammar".

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

Maybe he's from Kentucky too.

 

[Walter]

Not from KY, just can't spell.