The other side's version

[DennisS]

There's always, at least, two sides to every story.

I think the divemasters actions were a much more serious transgression than the diver who handled the seahorse if this link is accurate.

If this link is accurate I think she is lucky her finger isn't in a cast.

 

[fishfry2]

To Christi,
Even though I have not met you personally, yet. To be there on July 24. Anyone who reads this board reguarly could tell your heart is in the right place. You happen to be in a position that is able to get to the bottom of things. Letting Cozumel lovers know what is going on is not a crime. It seems easy for every one to say what they would have done or not done, what is right and wrong. You can only make your judgements on what you know is true, as knowledge is obtained about the situation. Then you acted accordingly. Bless you for your good heart and trying to speak for animals that can not speak for themselves.

 

[robbcayman]

Fishfry, what part of Oklahoma are you from? I am from OKC BOOMER SOONER!!! Who is your LDS?? Do you dive with a group? Good to see an OKIE on here.

 

[ggunn]

Very cautiously, I'll say that maybe, just maybe the DM overreacted a bit. While it is true that we all should fastidiously refrain from touching anything on the reef, it is doubtful that any severe lasting damage was done by one diver touching one seahorse. It is not the individual acts that do the harm, it is the accumulation of all the individual acts (as my mom says, no raindrop blames itself for the flood). A simple, "hey, don't do that" (tap on the shoulder, admonishing hand wave) would probably (I say "probably"; I wasn't there) have been a more appropriate response than a physical confrontation at depth, which, if nothing else, is dangerous for everyone involved. It's not as if he were maliciously breaking off chunks of the reef or slitting the throats of endangered species.

In my opinion, once things are to the point of flipping off, insults, and physical sparring, everyone is in the wrong.

Escalation is easy; deescalation is hard. I sincerely doubt that anyone, even the two people directly involved (maybe *especially* the two people involved) knows exactly what happened. At depth, try sometime to make yourself unambiguously understood on a point for which there is no succinct hand signal. Heck, even on the surface it can be tough, even if you have a common language. I've seen some bloody bar fights over what one guy said and the very different thing the other guy heard.

Everyone, please repeat after me...."I am going to have to get over this someday. Why not now?"

 

[damselfish10]

ggunn, I don't think you need to be cautious when saying that maybe, just maybe the DM overreacted a bit. In fact I wouldn't say "maybe" or "a bit." Grabbing, flipping divers off, and writing profanity on slates is not just an overreaction, but unprofessional for a divemaster. I like your saying that, "It is not the individual acts that do the harm, it is the accumulation of all the individual acts (as my mom says, no raindrop blames itself for the flood)." It's so true. The DMs behavior and the series of message board comments were unnecessary and caused an out of control escalation.

For those who would like some more information and new posts from "the other side," check out the message board Christi referred to earlier on Rodale's website. I think she provided a link earlier, but you can find it at www.scubadiving.com - the message board is under the community section.

Now I'm going to repeat ggunn's quote - "I am going to have to get over this someday. Why not now?" It's perfect! :dazzler1:

 

[mjh]

How can anyone defend this guy?

We go to Cozumel because it is advertised as a MARINE PARK! If I recall most ops have you sign a waiver acknowledging it is a MARINE PARK and you WON’T TOUCH ANYTHING. Before every dive, every DM I have been with has reiterated it is a MARINE PARK, DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING. If this guy had been there all week he had to have heard this a dozen times and in effect said **** You I’ll do what I want to. A polite tap on the shoulder and a please put the seahorse down would have been lost on this guy.

From the Parque Nacional Web Page
“It IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED:
• To stand on, or take hold of the coral reefs
• To fish for, to collect, to disturb or to keep any marine life organism found in the Park (fishes, corals, shells, starfish, etc.)
• To carry spears, hooks, harpoons or explosives
• To carry gloves or knives (Dive Masters and Instructors may register these items for use with the Marine Park).
• To disturb or to remove fauna and flora from their refuge.
• To feed any fish or animals in the Marine Park
• To dispose of any kind of solid waste in the ocean.
• To dump fuel, grease, oil, or any other liquid substances into the ocean
• To use sun block or suntan oils which are not biodegradable.

Dive guides are authorized to enforce these rules. Your courtesy in carefully following these rules ensures that our precious reefs, living organisms in their own right, will enjoy long and healthy lives. For your support and help, the people of Cozumel thank you.”

As divers we are stewards and should be shocked by this guy’s action. Even if the truth lies somewhere in the middle the guy is an idiot and the finger and ******* written on a board is well deserved, IMHO.

 

[Martha]

My witnesses maintain that she was not overly aggressive towards him and that she was doing her job as a marine park guide.

However the way that this situation has escalated, it seems that the initial behavior which instigated the incident was lost and the entire focus now revolves around the DM's "behavior" rather than the diver who was serioulsy violating marine park regulations.

Thanks to those of you who have not lost focus of the point of my original message.

Holly, I wish I was where you are right now

Christi,
I think it's great that you are so passionate about marine park preservation. It's too bad not everyone feels the same way. I hope you don't let some of the negative things people say (on any board) change the way you do things. Your level of caring is a beautiful thing.

 

[damselfish10]

mjh,
You obviously haven't taken the time to read the posts on the other message board to become educated on the other issues at hand. No one is arguing against the marine park rules, even the diver in question. Maybe you should take the time to read his post before passing judgment.

Personally, I'm more concerned about this DM who doesn't exhibit self control underwater - she seems like she could be a danger to people. A polite tap on the shoulder would have been the proper way to handle the situation. This DM needs to review her role as a professional.

 

[mjh]

I had reviewed his post and that of his witness. The "seahorse moved on to my finger" (???) In 25yrs of diving all over the world I have never seen this. He admits to “moving”, i.e. SWIMMING, with the seahorse rather than putting it back on its station. His actions speak much louder than his face saving words. This sounds like a drunk whose car is wrapped around a telephone pole telling the officer "I only had one beer".

Too often I have seen DMs look the other way not wanting to offend the diver and risk their gratuity. I understand this since they must put food on their table. Even if you accept whole cloth his statement and that of his “witness” over the DM and the FIVE other people present, so what? DON’T BREAK THE RULES, DON’T TOUCH THE WILDLIFE and YOU DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM.

I have no problem with what the DM did. The fact of the matter is if more people cared as much as the DM involved in this incident the reefs would be in much better condition.

 

[damselfish10]

No one is disputing reef and marine life conservation. It sounds like your one of those people, though, who think unprofessionalism should be the standard in the diving industry. That scares me! The DM had the responsibility to protect the marine life, but also the responsibility to act in a professional way. Flipping recreational divers off and calling them a--holes underwater does nothing but make others upset. She demonstrated a lack of judgment and she could have created a dangerous situation. All of which was her fault and could have been avoided by controlling herself and acting like a DM. If she really wanted to prove a point and be heard and respected, she could have handled the situation much better instead of causing a confrontation. I call what she did an assault on the recreational diver. Whether he touched a seahorse or not is irrelevant to the point I'm making about doing her job the way she's supposed to.