Sipadan. No more corals = no more sushi/sashimi.
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gee13
Contributor
I actually dived with 7 Japanes divers at Sipadan who were educated by the DM about the coral touching. They did this on the first dive but not on the other ones. I do l believe its all in the education, and yes for some reasons there seems to be a higher percent of divers from Japan particularly the middle aged divers who are the offenders. Unfortunately their behaviour is reinforced if no one says anything. So if anyone else goes out to Sipadan and witnesses such activity please constructively let them know that behaviour cannot be tolerated. If language is a barrier there is always a DM who can speak the language. If we all do something then there will be less offenders hopefully.
Nice to hear of DMs who make the effort to educate divers on such things. Ours did too, but it didn't help much though.
i'm new to diving. 30 dives including the 13 i just did at Sipadan et. al. But hey, i didn't need DMs to tell me i should not step/lie on live corals, killing them in the process...
again, i believe education - as part of an OW course or exam, is the key. Along with a segment on diving etiquette.
By the way, i have quite a few Japanese friends, and have been to Japan many times. i can tell you the majority of them respect the environment very much. Just look at how beautiful places like Hokkaido and Mt. Fuji in Honshu are.
i'm new to diving. 30 dives including the 13 i just did at Sipadan et. al. But hey, i didn't need DMs to tell me i should not step/lie on live corals, killing them in the process...
again, i believe education - as part of an OW course or exam, is the key. Along with a segment on diving etiquette.
By the way, i have quite a few Japanese friends, and have been to Japan many times. i can tell you the majority of them respect the environment very much. Just look at how beautiful places like Hokkaido and Mt. Fuji in Honshu are.
Hank49
Contributor
bit of a derail here...but are there still a lot of turtles at Sipadan? I was there in 98 and there were TOO MANY !! They were gathering and nursing eggs, hatching them and all relleased there. Every sponge was chewed on, big turtles laying on top of fan corals. You had to push them out of the way to see anything else. Conservation gone crazy.
InDaWata
Contributor
I was diving in the area for a few months and I lost count of how many people I saw with zero regard for the reef.
I dont want to fuel the stereotype- but overwhelmingly the divers were asians. Lots of great Asian divers too, of course, but you tend to really zero in on the stereotype when it happens a few dyas in a row with different groups from the same region.
There were a group of snorkelers (with life jackets) who were on a boat one day- the DM guide told them the rules to abide to, namely dont touch anything, or step on coral. 10 minutes after they were in the water, the entire group was WALKING on the coral around Kapalai in their fins. back on the boat, the guide was quite seriously chastising them for their actions, they just laughed it off.
Similar situation on the Mabul House reef near Borneo Divers with a group of photographers kneeling down around a place known for Mandarin Fish. Unfortunately, they were touching without regard as well, and had already destroyed some coral that was recently planted.
What can you do when you dont have control over other divers? I was tempted to flood their masks...
I dont want to fuel the stereotype- but overwhelmingly the divers were asians. Lots of great Asian divers too, of course, but you tend to really zero in on the stereotype when it happens a few dyas in a row with different groups from the same region.
There were a group of snorkelers (with life jackets) who were on a boat one day- the DM guide told them the rules to abide to, namely dont touch anything, or step on coral. 10 minutes after they were in the water, the entire group was WALKING on the coral around Kapalai in their fins. back on the boat, the guide was quite seriously chastising them for their actions, they just laughed it off.
Similar situation on the Mabul House reef near Borneo Divers with a group of photographers kneeling down around a place known for Mandarin Fish. Unfortunately, they were touching without regard as well, and had already destroyed some coral that was recently planted.
What can you do when you dont have control over other divers? I was tempted to flood their masks...
sonar
Contributor
In my opinion there should be more attention in the OW course not to touch anything. Way more important than all science and equipment stuff
Shops should also prohibit using gloves and sticks, even if they are owned by customers
I think it's a cultural thing that shows less respect for environment
Shops should also prohibit using gloves and sticks, even if they are owned by customers
I think it's a cultural thing that shows less respect for environment
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I absolutely agree with this. I think that buoyancy should be a much larger part of the training. Some Instructors focus more on it but many are still looking for throughput....
This I could not disagree with more. We have already dumbed down the training....any more and we will see more divers getting bent or worse. Without knowledge of the science and equipment behind diving, you are a danger to both yourself and those around you.
With improved training this would not be required.
In some cases this may be, in a twisted way, true. What we see as disrespect to the environment, some cultures see as living. It falls back on education but not always related to diving. If other cultures see that species are being driven to the brink of extinction partially or even primarily because of their actions, then they may decide to change. In many cases, these "cultures" have been in place for hundreds (even thousands) of years. Change will only come through education IMO.
Just read online a certain DC in Sabah has the following policy:
"All divers must agree to the strict Environmental Conservation Programme set-up by the Dive Centre and are required to sign a Reef Conservation Policy prior to diving."
Perhaps the DCs operating in Sipadan can be persuaded to adopt the same or similar programs?
Once it's spelled out clearly - i.e., what one should and should not do on a dive, there will be less "Oh, i didn't know they'll die..." scenarios, and the DCs have a 'legitimate tool' to bar or at least temporarily ban destructive divers from going back into the water.
"All divers must agree to the strict Environmental Conservation Programme set-up by the Dive Centre and are required to sign a Reef Conservation Policy prior to diving."
Perhaps the DCs operating in Sipadan can be persuaded to adopt the same or similar programs?
Once it's spelled out clearly - i.e., what one should and should not do on a dive, there will be less "Oh, i didn't know they'll die..." scenarios, and the DCs have a 'legitimate tool' to bar or at least temporarily ban destructive divers from going back into the water.
gee13
Contributor
Well all considered Im happy that there is a 120 limit in Sipadan. Despite what others may think. Imagine the wanton destruction that would happen if there wasnt a controlled figure. Also the risk to life as the amount of boats increased. ie Crystal Bay and the risks of uncontrolled diver/boat numbers in one small area. Lack of education and coral destruction happens at many oher sites too. There is a responsibility of all divers and Dive Ops operating near fragile coral reefs to ensure the environment is protected. And there should be accountability if this is not adhered to.
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