Hi,
@Sh0rtBus.
For a moment, let’s assume it’s actually fine to graze our fingers on them as they are passing.
My guess is that if we start telling people it’s okay to touch, it becomes a slippery slope. Divers will have different interpretations of what is permissible and/or it will create a situation of “give an inch, they take a foot”. Someone will then start petting it, swimming towards it (chasing) to do it, crowd them to accomplish it, etc. It is sometimes easier to just say don’t touch in order to ensure no one starts going down that path. Same with the DPV. Imagine if you could keep up with a whale shark for a while, almost an entire dive, and swim alongside it with a DPV. Now imagine that with a group of divers, perhaps 8 or so, possibly chasing it around. I imagine the divers’ formation, behavior, and darting around the whale shark is difficult to regulate to ensure any malfunctions or sounds/actions with a DPV would not hurt or disturb the whale shark, respectively. This also may circle back to the idea of we know so little, if we're not sure whether it does or doesn't affect them, we should err on the side of caution and conservatism. The suggestion for DPV may be the same as the no touching in this instance. It’s just easier to say no...