Picking up rocks and combing through seaweed?

[maj2]

Every once in a while you get a truly memorable dive briefing...

One of my favourites was memorable because of how they addressed the touching of stuff underwater. Instead of a blanket "do not touch anything", the DM told us that if we HAD to touch anything, to please limit touching to lionfish, fire coral and fire worms.

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm sure plant based diets are better but the US federal studies done by multiple universities have meat producing 2-3% of GHG produced by all agriculture. Agriculture produces 9% of all GHG and travel 59%. Air travel being the biggest producer of GSG per passenger KM by a factor of 2. There is little way of quantifying GSG from meat animals as no one has ever measured the methane they produce other than theoretically.
As well, the domesticated ruminants used for food have largely just replaced the wild herds that used to exist. It's an issue certainly but the only places I see it champiioned are mostly vegan activist sites.

Funny, I just heard about plant based diets vs. meat on a radio talk show en route to a day of diving. Today is the first time I've heard the term. Funny how terms seem to pop up and quickly become common usage (or my wife is right in that I live under a rock).

 

[The Ruttmeister]

Veganism is it's own ball of wax...

But there have been studies into the impact of red meat in terms of GHGE.

Implications of Future US Diet Scenarios on Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Center for Sustainable Systems

This one for example, that got a bit of adverse media attention recently.

Personally I want to live in a world where I can still cook a burger on my bbq. I have faith that science and engineering can figure out a way to make happen without destroying the oceans or making Orangutans go extinct.
In fact I don't think there's a way forward unless we can do both.
Fingers crossed.

 

[Ghost95]

No-Touch divers should never, under any circumstances, do a sharks tooth dive off Venice Fl. You were warned.

 

[Raphus]

I am very strict about not touching anything.
I am also very strict about silting up the bottom. Of yours in lakes it's not that bad and it CAN happen.

But if a diver constantly kicks up plants and silt I tell him so stay away from the bottom, or fix his kicks/trim.

Yes I fly, and I do other stuff that's not perfect.
But on the other site I am vegan 6 days a week and I never eat fish.
Just doing one bad thing(eg. Flying) doesn't mean I have to do other "bad" things.
And of course I am not one of that guys who tell everyone to be vegan.
But I tell people from time to time story's about the destroyed reefs and ocean in general and hope they might change their habits

 

[Kimela]

My thoughts on this might seem a little odd. If you have to manipulate the environment to see what you want to see then it feels unsportsmanlike for me. If I missed the shot of the crab that moved behind the rock, I'll have to wait for another dive to get a similar pic. If I move the rock it feels like I'm 'cheating'. If I move a rock to see what's underneath? Cheating. If I use a tickle stick to hold the anemone aside so I can get a better shot of the pederson shrimp? Cheating. (though there have been times that I wanted to!!)

Also, after seeing some incredible macro shots, I'm so much more aware of how we might be disturbing these tiny little critters I didn't know existed.

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

Someone touched something in the fragile environment of the ocean? It must have caused utter destruction!

You may have to try again with a selection of languages

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Tell you what: try diving an area where fishing trawlers have recently passed. Don't touch anything.

Or just get a seaweed harvest license, whatever that entails in your jurisdiction. Then you can cut off and take away a daily bag limit of seaweeds -- less destructively than touching something on a dive, of course.

I have faith that science and engineering can figure out a way to make happen without destroying the oceans or making Orangutans go extinct.

Impossible Meat. Tastes just like the real thing.

 

[drk5036]

The number one offenders in my relatively short scuba diving career, by far, have been dive masters. I’ve never dives in the US so I don’t know how people act back home, but in Asia, touching the wildlife is common. It’s usually non-aggressive in nature, but still far from the “no touch” policy people tend to abide by on scubaboard.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

So it’s OK that someone takes a flight on a jet that burns approximately 33 thousand gallons of jet fuel for every 10 hours in flight, goes to an island and craps in the hotel toilets which the sewage has to go somewhere and get treated, drinks rum drinks which came from how much sugar cane to make those shots of rum? uses taxis, air conditioning if they have it, electricity, swims with sun tan lotion on, and all the other impacts one can contribute while they visit, and someone is going to get their panties up in a wad over looking under a starfish?
Ok, got it.