Malapascua Reminder - neutral buoyancy a must

[Mucksavage]

Here are a couple of photos from this morning's dive with the Thresher Sharks.

We'd like to remind all visitors to Monad Shoal in Malapascua that no matter what your operator tells you or which safari boat you are diving from - basic neutral buoyancy is a must if you want to visit the Thresher Sharks.

For over 4 years most of the dive centres have been telling divers not to crawl and lie on the reef. But many 'divers' still do. This is not diving. Its sitting.

 

[Mucksavage]

Some things never change - just a reminder to anyone coming to Malapascua - please do not sit or lie on the reef while doing the shark dive, regardless of whether your dive centre 'allows' it This is destroying the habitat of the all important cleaner wrasse which is what attract the sharks. And its kind of obvious that it is also plain wrong.

Video grabs from a dive yesterday taken by a stunned diver . . .

 

[Sevenrider860]

If a local dive operator is allowing it to happen, then that is where pressure needs to be applied. A message on ScubaBoard is much less effective than local enforcement of the operators allowing this to happen. Very difficult to identify one of the many tourist but it should be easy to identify the operator.

I have not made it to Malapascua yet but it is definitely something I plan on doing in the next few years.

 

[eagerbeaver]

If a local dive operator is allowing it to happen, then that is where pressure needs to be applied. A message on ScubaBoard is much less effective than local enforcement of the operators allowing this to happen. Very difficult to identify one of the many tourist but it should be easy to identify the operator.

I have not made it to Malapascua yet but it is definitely something I plan on doing in the next few years.

Fear not, we are also applying pressure where possible at Diveshop owner/manager level. But the thought process here is that if divers are fully informed then they might behave better even if their chosen operator does not enforce correct diving practices.

 

[nudisusie]

Name them and shame them Matt

 

[StefinSB]

Name the operator or stop whining.

 

[NorCalDM]

Good buoyancy should be a must everywhere we dive. I see too many divers bouncing along the bottom no matter were I dive.