Rules about touching the marine life

kabluton · Jun 10, 2005

I know that it is a good overall rule of thumb not to touch the marine life (corals, fish, etc) for various reasons (damage, venomous stings, etc). I have been with some dive operations that tell you not to touch and then the divemasters actually touch certain things themselves. Isn't that hypocritical?

I love and respect the reefs and try never, ever to damage anything (especially the corals) but is there ever a time when touching the animals is okay? For instance, I love to watch pufferfish blow up and on night dives someone usually finds an octopus and passes it around. Just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on this. Thanks.

H2Andy · Jun 10, 2005

well... you're gonna get responses on this, and then some =)

personally, i think you shouldn't touch anything underwater unless the animal
comes to you and interacts with you, and then only if you know how to
do it and know what not to do.

blowing up a pufferfish means that pufferfish is under stress. that's not a good
thing. likewise, passing an octopus around probably puts the animal under a
lot of stress. stress makes the animal less resistant to disease, and could get
the animal sick or dead.

yes, i think anyone who tells you "dont do x" and then does it is a hypocrite.

on the other hand, i have interacted with sea mammals, who came to me
of their own free will (no feeding involved), and it was a great experience.

MSilvia · Jun 10, 2005

I only touch the marine life when I intend to eat it, or it chooses to interact with me first.

I don't think playing "show and tell" with marine life is ever appropriate. I don't know for sure, but I understand that inciting a pufferfish to blow up is potentially harmful to the fish. Octopi are very intelligent, and probably wouldn't appreciate being passed around. If you don't have a reason to touch other than curiosity, don't do it.

gfisher4792 · Jun 10, 2005

Well, there have been many previous threads on this very subject, and touching is a no-no in general. Yes, I would agree that a DM that says "no touch" then grabs onto the nearest turtle is a hypocrite. Leading by example has a much bigger effect than leading by lecture.

Your puffer example is a good one to showcase why we shouldn't touch sealife: When a puffer swells up, it does so as a defensive measure. I.e, it's reacting to a perceived threat and is being put under undue stress. Not a nice feeling for the puffer. It would be analagous to someone pointing a gun at your face over and over for their own amusement. You're not dead, but you're probably under some stress.

Touching animals is okay (IMO) when they're sizing you up for a meal. I would "touch" an aggressive shark with my dive knife (or my buddy), for example.

pete340 · Jun 10, 2005

kabluton:
I know that it is a good overall rule of thumb not to touch the marine life (corals, fish, etc) for various reasons (damage, venomous stings, etc). I have been with some dive operations that tell you not to touch and then the divemasters actually touch certain things themselves. Isn't that hypocritical?

Inconsistent, maybe. Hypocritical, no. Look it up. <g>

abitton · Jun 10, 2005

I did bug crabs by throwing little (very little) pebbles at them...

SueMermaid · Jun 10, 2005

My name is Sue and I like to tease damselfish.

[hiiiiiiii Sue]

kabluton · Jun 10, 2005

SueMermaid:
My name is Sue and I like to tease damselfish.

[hiiiiiiii Sue]

I agree! Getting those little buggers to nip at you is a blast.

Uncle Pug · Jun 10, 2005

Yesterday OE2X and I harassed a cabezon until it was frantic. I was taking pictures from one side and OE2X was taking pictures from the other. The cabby didn't know which way to turn. It was great... payback!

Normally I would never want to stress a critter but at this *un-named* dive site the cabezon are particularly agressive and well... "He needed killin', officer." Though in this case we didn't kill him.. we just shot him a bunch of times.

Corigan · Jun 10, 2005

Touching fish is a big no-no. They have a "slime" coat of mucous over their bodies that help protect them from disease. When you touch a fish you remove the slime coat where you have touched and in turn have made the fish more subseptible to catching a disease. Also when fish stress they can have a tendency to lose this coat as well.

Matt

Rules about touching the marine life

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