"Observations show an average 260 touches per one hour dive for a party of four."

[Scuba_88]

I know some of the DM’s love doing the swim throughs. I love them also. However, I have been with several groups were we had inexperienced divers that had no buoyancy control whatsoever and the DM would lead the group through several swim throughs. On several occasions I have had to help some of these divers off the roof of these caves due to them not knowing how to use a BCD. Even before we entered these tight areas I knew these divers were going to have issues. I feel the DM’s should evaluate the skill set of the divers before swimming through some of these fragile areas. I would be disappointed if we couldn’t do the swim throughs but I would much rather have that than damage done to the reef.

 

[JohnWoods]

I agree regarding the swim throughs in Cozumel, I must say though as careful as I try to be and conscious of the gaps around me , some I've been taken through are so tight it's very difficult to avoid some contact at times. I would choose not to go through next time based on the possibility of contact.

 

[doctormike]

I do see great problems when I see a diver with a camera that looks like a research sub, they seldom care about other diver's experience or the protecting the reef…just to get the great shot of the possibly last animal in the ocean. Again, as a DM, virtually ever time a saw a diver with a camera I cringed and gave special briefings. And at times threw them off the boat.

Dunno, man... I sure get a lot of randos on dive boats asking me for my contact info so that they can get the photos I took of them diving. People seem to like that.

Extremely well said. And now it is much worse than during my first stint in diving 1975-1995. Then, relatively few people had cameras. Currently, many if not most people have them and it's so often not even primarily about the organism or the ecosystem -- but about getting something on social media.

And you kids get off my lawn!

 

[Bob DBF]

260 touches for a group of 4, which would make 22,945 for the 353 diver sample.

Fin kicks accounted for the greatest proportion of each type of contact: 95.2% (n=138) of major damage,78.5% (n=2228) of minor damage, and 90.8%(n=1581) of re-suspended sediment.

(144) (2838) (1741)
This seems to enumerate the number of touches counted fo each kind of damage, which if calculated out gives 4723 contacts total for the study.

Now I was too old to learn the new math, so I may be way off, and wait to be corrected.

I have read the study referenced http://faculty.wwu.edu/~shulld/ESCI 432/BarkerRoberts2004.pdf several times and have yet to see any actual number of touches total or for a group of four divers that was "quoted". Trying to hard numbers and how they are used may be easy fo someone that reads and writes these reports, but I'm at a loss on what numbers were generated how and by who when.


Bob

 

[ReefHound]

I agree regarding the swim throughs in Cozumel, I must say though as careful as I try to be and conscious of the gaps around me , some I've been taken through are so tight it's very difficult to avoid some contact at times. I would choose not to go through next time based on the possibility of contact.

I used to enjoy them but prefer to just go over or around now. If I can't be the first one through with a pristine view, I'd rather just pass. I really don't need any more video of someone's fins flutter kicking in front of me.

 

[Steve_C]

So what are your ideas then?
Do you have anything more productive than that?

One does what one can
There is what teaching can be done during classes
Those boats that want to can remind their guests how to behave

Ultimately the warming oceans and acidification will be the major changers. Hurricanes are massive movers of sand. Alga feeds off agricultural runoff.

The coral reefs and fish populations will migrate and adapt.

It has always changed. The current coral reefs came into being since the last ice age since the ocean was several hundred feet less then.

 

[tursiops]

260 touches for a group of 4, which would make 22,945 for the 353 diver sample.



(144) (2838) (1741)
This seems to enumerate the number of touches counted fo each kind of damage, which if calculated out gives 4723 contacts total for the study.

Now I was too old to learn the new math, so I may be way off, and wait to be corrected.

I have read the study referenced http://faculty.wwu.edu/~shulld/ESCI 432/BarkerRoberts2004.pdf several times and have yet to see any actual number of touches total or for a group of four divers that was "quoted". Trying to hard numbers and how they are used may be easy fo someone that reads and writes these reports, but I'm at a loss on what numbers were generated how and by who when.


Bob

The article linked is NOT the source of the "260 touches" quote. It is just an article about touching, provided when someone asked if there is anything factual available. I'm looking for more....

 

[tursiops]

The coral reefs and fish populations will migrate and adapt.

It has always changed. The current coral reefs came into being since the last ice age since the ocean was several hundred feet less then.

Or not. The rate of change now is much faster than historically, and there is little evidence the reefs and animals can adapt as quickly as the changes, especially the human animals.

 

[archman]

dang how this get to 108 posts so fast

 

[doctormike]