DMs behaving badly

[Aqua Buoy]

Perhaps a more appropriate use of the photos is to mention it to the shop and say you're not happy with it and provide the evidence at hand (esp if it is digital).

Now I'm a vegetarian, marine biologist, avid diver (duh!) and conservationist but not preservationist (the latter mostly an untenable position - IMO). However I do not see the point in simply picking up an octopus for the purpose of making it squirt ink, or the nurse shark bit for that matter. (I have seen and heard of nurse sharks biting, it's only a matter of time until he gets one that won't be as "cooperative"!). The other thing I think many of us have seen is people taking sea urchins to feed other marine life.

Mind you marine biologists also (as with many biologists/scientists) do some pretty distrubing things with marine life - dissection comes to mind (though thankfully I've never seen or done live ones, yes they do happen). Some sampling in marine science is very destructive - the argument of course is that it has a benefitial purpose that outweighs the damage (though I am not always convinced of that). Having said that I know of a coral researcher that stands on the reef while he does transect for reef damage/disease!!!!!!

I think what ALL dive operators should make customers do is sign a code of conduct with regards to underwater and in turn they too should display openly a code of their conduct to customers (so that way we go the DMs and customers covered) - it is not a guarantee, but at least it might help reduce incidents and make both parties aware. Maybe this should be done through and down the agencies as a mandatory requirement for teaching sanctioned courses.

 

[baitedstorm]

What can I say, you make me want to be a turtle..

:54: I'm gonna leave that one alone.... lol

 

[Jason B]

I find it sad that such a serious topic turns into another thread full of sexual innuendo.

 

[CBulla]

To steer this away from going completely down the drain... but not to say I'm not laughing at the replies, this just seems like another day on the dive boat/site with the comments!

Vickie and others pointed out that sometimes there is much more than meets the eye with a picture. One thing that some folks might not realize is that when a person dives a spot often enough, the diver and animals tend to get somewhat more familiar with one another and friendly interactions are bound to happen. The octopus might be a "you made me ink!" thing, but the shark would most likely not have hung out had they not been familiar.

 

[fishoutawater]

Face it, everything humans do screws up some critter's day. From riding a fossil fuel powered boat to a dive sight, to slitting open an urchin to feed another fish. I remember a guy at work berating me for squashing a poor innocent bug on my desk. I let him vent for a little while, then I said, "well let's go out in the parking lot, and count the bugs on your windshield."
He shut up pretty quick.
Then when I was getting certified, during my checkout dive, the DM cut open an urchin to feed the Garibaldi. After the dive, one of the other students commented about it. The DM pointed out the over abundance of said urchins, blaming it on divers who killed most of the seals for eating the abalone. Just another case of humans causing an imbalance.
Then there's my own little quirk about freshwater vs. saltwater fish. Somehow, in my mind, that queen angelfish is so much more worth protecting and revering than the catfish that was on my plate last night, even though both fish are the same intellectually. In reality, just because one is ugly and lives in a pond or river, doesn't make it *worth* less than the pretty one that happens to live on a colorful reef. They're both alive. I still wouldn't kill or harm a queen angel.
OTOH, killing critters for entertainment just makes my blood boil. Just the other day, I was watching some old James Bond flic, and they killed I don't know how many sharks to make that movie; but what really got me was this scene where his chick dejure is snorkeling and using a turtle as a scooter. You could clearly see the turtle craning its neck towards the surface trying to get air. Of course that movie was made in the sixties. Attitudes are much different now.

 

[Sideband]

.

 

[Aqua Buoy]

Face it, everything humans do screws up some critter's day. From riding a fossil fuel powered boat to a dive sight, to slitting open an urchin to feed another fish. I remember a guy at work berating me for squashing a poor innocent bug on my desk. I let him vent for a little while, then I said, "well let's go out in the parking lot, and count the bugs on your windshield."
He shut up pretty quick.
Then when I was getting certified, during my checkout dive, the DM cut open an urchin to feed the Garibaldi. After the dive, one of the other students commented about it. The DM pointed out the over abundance of said urchins, blaming it on divers who killed most of the seals for eating the abalone. Just another case of humans causing an imbalance.
Then there's my own little quirk about freshwater vs. saltwater fish. Somehow, in my mind, that queen angelfish is so much more worth protecting and revering than the catfish that was on my plate last night, even though both fish are the same intellectually. In reality, just because one is ugly and lives in a pond or river, doesn't make it *worth* less than the pretty one that happens to live on a colorful reef. They're both alive. I still wouldn't kill or harm a queen angel.
OTOH, killing critters for entertainment just makes my blood boil. Just the other day, I was watching some old James Bond flic, and they killed I don't know how many sharks to make that movie; but what really got me was this scene where his chick dejure is snorkeling and using a turtle as a scooter. You could clearly see the turtle craning its neck towards the surface trying to get air. Of course that movie was made in the sixties. Attitudes are much different now.

Point noted, and I realise that there is an imbalance already created by humans, but does that allow us to use that as an excuse to entertain our customers (as in your e.g. with the seals/sea urchins/abalone?). I mean the Japanese Government uses this very claim to call for the resumption of whaling, yet most of us believe this to be absurd, but in both cases that's the same claim.

Firstly how does the diver know that this is not the case in other places, as much as it might seem blindingly obvious, but then tries it say in the Caribbean where sea urchin fisheries are closed due to overexploitation.

Second, as divers we are not (most of us anyways) scientists, wildlife/marine management officers/specialists, granted they don't always get it right either. My point is that I find the answer to a diver's question in your seal/sea urchin/abalone case is just making a particular claim to a particular case, to which one is not necessarily trained to understand fully.

Thirdly, I think it imparts knowledge divergent from what should be taught about the marine environment in basic diver training - to care for the marine environment.


MHO

 

[Nic160]

Question: How many people have seen a DM do something they consider dumb(bad) or out of line ? I know I have, more than once.

 

[Aqua Buoy]

Question: How many people have seen a DM do something they consider dumb(bad) or out of line ? I know I have, more than once.

On a number of occasions, with marine life and with people.

 

[SteveDiver]

He looks familiar! his name is not Tony is it?