- Messages
- 169
- Reaction score
- 36
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
I'm a dive cop here where I live.
If I see some douche standing on a coral head (what's left of them) posing for a picture, I will get in his face. If I see him tearing up the soft corals with his fins (as I often do) because of poor trim and buoyancy, I will offer advise (not always well received). If I see him riding a turtle..well let's say that enrages me. I crossed the line once or twice, but now I catch up to them and give them the finger wag.
I've done SCUBA here and in the Keys since the early 70's. The destruction of our reefs by an over abundance of careless divers is very obvious to me. You'll see it as well in your part of the world I suspect in the next decade or so.
As for the turtles, riding them can injure them, can cause them to fear divers and I'm told will cause females to drop their clutches.
Rant off.
Hi Tim,
Everything you talked about is necessary and I scold divers too when faced with actions like that... have even grounded them for a few dives for repeat offenses... those are just things that i think divers should have been taught from the start. Given that we have mostly advanced to extremely experienced divers from the west we dont see much of that though... The people i'm talking about are those that complain about the petty things... like someone being too loud... or someone hogging the tv (which they would've never wanted to watch anyway)... or someone taking too much time photographing a subject... or someone smoking a cigar (duh hes smoking in the smoking area, if you dont like it dont hang out there)... people coming up with less than 500 psi... stuff like that... im talking about the people who walk around the boat and dive the dive sites watching other people and finding faults to tell about... they're really annoying...