How would you handle this?

[Ana]

Ana: You know, that's just how the Japanese feel about harvesting dolphins and I bet they can't understand why those ignorant westerners won't stop harassing them, calling them names and making documentaries about them. Same with harpooning whales - they don't see what all the drama is about. Should we stop filming and trying to "out" them for fear of violating their privacy or, is that one means of attempting to alter their behavior?

yeah you are right, I see the error of my ways, where is the address of the kid?, let us all go and just lynch the little b@$t@rd and why bother just filming the Japanese, we have have enough power to destroy them, let's just blow them out of the planet.

Changing the law and making that area off limits is your right and based on a post from NWdiver now that they got on it, the days of harvesting GOP there are numbered, wonderful!!!! hooo yaa for the group of people that decided that part of the world will be safe... and look they only had to burn one person on the stake, and that person wasn't one of us, so who cares.
That person wasn't open minded like us, we are the good guys we know better than people like that kid.

Thanks for showing me the correct path

 

[Zieg]

I've seen the back side picture of Bob, is this a pic of his front? Maybe the kid didn't see his badge.

 

[stevensamler]

There is no doubt in my mind that if this kid didn't have a facebook page, or any other social media, or face to face ability to show off to his friends with "look what I did", he would never touch another octopus. The little puke craves attention and relishes in the 'admiration' of his 'friends' ooing and ahhing and squeeling over his manly accomplishments of being the great undersea hunter, going and doing what others fear to tread.

He no doubt was one of those kids who got a trophy just for showing up when he was a kid, told too many times how special a boy he was for being nothing but ordinary at best, and now has discovered social media as his personal ego reward system to keep it going.

In the old days, he simply would have been handed a beating and it would have probably fixed him, taught him a lesson that there are consequences for his actions, and changed his ways. Now he's a little 'system player', playing the system to his advantage, getting away with it and having his poor choices be rewarded by his moron facebook friends. If the dive shops do black list him, that will be the first abrupt assault to his ego and maybe create enough face to face discussions with people in the real world instead of the cyber world, will change his mind on being such an entitled little puke.

You're absolutely 100% right about this piss ant of a human being except you left out one thing , mommy let him get away with everything and daddy didn't backhand him into next month to make sure he had respect for person, place, and thing.......

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Absolutely!
Respect has to be earned.

Back to the original question:
Bob has done the right thing, no question about it.
I would probably do the same as well.

Really? Posting his license plate so that other people could track him down was the right thing to do? Was that the right thing to do or was it a "necessary" thing to do to generate enough emotional involvement and "drama"from local people? It is not like he is a poacher that we need to identify so that law enforcement can be notified.

If the issue was simply protection of this invertebrate at this particular location, I would think that the picture could have been posted showing the octopus and the diver and this would be sufficent to demonstrate that the activity of concern was taking place. Was the IDENTITY of the individual who was exercising his legal rights really necessary to be divulged? I think the license plate was unnecessary. The consenquences of posting that piece of information were not that hard to predict.

Even though the teenager's actions were entirely legal, he should have had the wisdom to see that his actions might well generate negative attention. Similarly, "Instructor Bob" also can not deny that he should have been able to predict that his posting of the license plate and personal information and notification of all the dive shops, would generate significant negative consequences for the teen.

Again, if the intent was to simply protect brooding octopus at this location, much of the actions were "not necessary".

I haven't looked at the kid's facebook account and I have no way of knowing if this kid really is an abuser of animals, but I would be willing to bet we could find other similar characters on FB, that are equally repugnant. Who shall we direct the lynch mob against tomorrow?

 

[Centrals]

Really? Posting his license plate so that other people could track him down was the right thing to do?

Where did Bob posting the license plate? Certainly NOT on here or I had missed it.

BTW, did Bob break any LAW so far?
Anyway, I admired his courage and gut. And we need more people like him anywhere and not just as scuba-police.

 

[boulderjohn]

If he is racist, if he gives attitude to his teachers or doesn't floss regularly should have zero relevance on this situation.

I'm sorry, but I disagree. When a person proudly presents himself as a certain kind of person, then it says a lot about him and, most especially, the motives for the actions he takes. "Why did he do it?" we ask, and we look to his FaceBook pafe and say, "Oh, I see. He abuses animals. He delights in killing. He posts pictures of guns as if they were trophies. Why did he do it? We see all too clearly."

Again, it is his choice to present himself as he doe, and he cannot then blame people for making logical conclusions from the evidence he has voluntarily given them.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Where did Bob posting the license plate? Certainly NOT on here or I had missed it.

BTW, did Bob break any LAW so far?
Anyway, I admired his courage and gut. And we need more people like him anywhere and not just as scuba-police.

I apologize if it was not posted here, I must have seen it on the local NW diving board which was linked to this thread.

I saw on AOL News this kid is now getting death threats...

I don't think I ever said EITHER of the individuals broke any laws? I said the actions were "not necessary".

 

[Tjack]

Kudos to Bob (NWGratefulDiver) for standing up for his convictions.

Good job mobilizing the local dive community.

Picture a bright blue ball, just spinning, spinnin free,
Dizzy with eternity.
Paint it with a skin of sky,
Brush in some clouds and sea,
Call it home for you and me.
A peaceful place or so it looks from space,
A closer look reveals the human race.
Full of hope, full of grace
Is the human face,
But afraid we may lay our home to waste.

 

[DaleC]

yeah you are right, I see the error of my ways, where is the address of the kid?, let us all go and just lynch the little b@$t@rd and why bother just filming the Japanese, we have have enough power to destroy them, let's just blow them out of the planet.

Changing the law and making that area off limits is your right and based on a post from NWdiver now that they got on it, the days of harvesting GOP there are numbered, wonderful!!!! hooo yaa for the group of people that decided that part of the world will be safe... and look they only had to burn one person on the stake, and that person wasn't one of us, so who cares.
That person wasn't open minded like us, we are the good guys we know better than people like that kid.

Thanks for showing me the correct path

Wow, save the drama for your mama. Can you discuss a topic rationally or do you always resort to hyperbole?

I didn't say anything about lynching or going over to his house so don't put words in my mouth. Also, why the sarcasm about the efforts to make GPO's safe at Cove 2; should no one take action about anything they care about for fear of upsetting someone else? Talk about a rallying cry for the lame. Nobody burned anybody at the stake either so you can relax there too. I would also suggest you refrain from suggesting we blow the Japanese out of the planet and/or destroy them - that might be misinterpreted as war mongering and open you up to some sort of international charge. And yes, that person was one of us - and unless you want government control over diving it is up to the dive community to govern itself-which is what it has done. The message being: don't harvest GPO's at Cove 2 and expect service or friendship. That behavior pisses people off. Is the recreational diving community allowed to express that message or not.

I don't know about showing you the correct path, but I sure found it frustrating to have to go through and correct your post. Try to do that yourself next time. Spreading half truths and innuendo is what you're complaining about.. right?

 

[ams511]

I have read some of these posts and some people have used the words "petting zoo". I have been to a petting zoo as a child and the zoo is private property and the animals domesticated. Neither of that is true in this situation. This area of ocean is not leased to anyone nor are octopi domesticated animals. The ocean is a public resource and the "kid" had no less right to it than Bob or anyone else. I would also say that divers treating wild animals as pets are not doing the sea creatures any favors either, you are altering their natural behavior. It is also brought up that these octopi bring dollars into the economy but these dollars tend to benefit a small number of businesses and not the economy as a whole. What I see here is bunch of people acting selfishly. The kid for killing the octo because he could. Bob for getting upset that the kid did it at HIS dive site and all the dive shops worried about their businesses. Maybe a better way of handling it would be to put a sign up explaining that this is a breeding site and it is better to leave the site unmolested.