Future of Diving in 25 years or less

[dorkdiver]

Extinction is inevitable, we just shouldn't accelerate the process.

 

[woodcarver]

Back in the dark ages when I was in grade school, the scientists needing a grant tried to convince everyone we were going to freeze in 30-50 years. When they realized that we were approaching that point in time but half the world wasn't covered in glaciers yet, and they needed another grant, they decided the world was going to burn up instead. Since we've gotten halfway through that period and nothing has happened, and they needed another grant, they gave it a new name that works no matter what happens. Thus, we are now in the era of "climate change".
Curious what the next iteration will be....

 

[JamesBon92007]

Back in the dark ages when I was in grade school, the scientists needing a grant tried to convince everyone we were going to freeze in 30-50 years.

Yes, I read a small book about that in about 1965.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Been seeing this since I was a kid in the 50's, I'm still rooting for the good guys. We aught to get out diving togather and get back to real life.



Bob

I’m going to be going to Stillwater and doing ab feeding and urchin round up dives with Jennifer. You should join us. She still talks about those lake Sonoma dives she did with you.

 

[aquacat8]

I dove Stillwater! Now you are feeding the Abs instead of eating them? Indeed things have changed. I am so sad about the decline of the kelp. How bad is it? Are there still beautiful cabezon and Ling cod and those red rockfish? The giant sun stars and purple anemone and Spanish shawl nudis. Sigh if it is really going away well... it will be time for me to go to in a while. But I wish I could have died thinking that was all going strong. I saw god in the form of a cod on the rocky reefs of the kelp forest, appearing out of camouflage, watching me like a Cheshire Cat, closest thing to a spiritual experience I’ve known, seeing that world.

 

[scubafanatic]

Interestingly enough, life of any sort on Earth has already used up 80 - 90 % of it's total possible lifespan, due to our Sun's stellar evolution (it continues to brighten about 10% every 1 billion years, and this rate of luminosity increase is accelerating). It's humbling to think about the fact that humanity arose within that small random window of time within 'life-on-earth's' last 10 % of possible existence!

Had our Sun been just a bit more massive, it would have evolved into it's Red Giant phase by now, eons before any complex life existed, and simple, single-celled organisms like Stromatolites would be the ones bearing mute witness to Armageddon!

Future of Earth - Wikipedia

 

[Remy B.]

None of the coral reefs you have ever seen existed 13,000 years ago. All the ones that existed then are under at least 100 meters of sea water. The planet has been warmer and colder than it is now, with more and less CO2 in the atmosphere. Coral is ancient, it will still be around when humanity is gone.

This too will pass.

Yes, but I guess you are missing that 13000 years ago there was no 7000 billion humas fuc... things up and nature was able to cope with it, now it appears that it will not be able to cope with it, and if there is not a breakthrough in something to stop this global warming diving will be only wrecks and caves, good bye marine live.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I dove Stillwater! Now you are feeding the Abs instead of eating them? Indeed things have changed. I am so sad about the decline of the kelp. How bad is it? Are there still beautiful cabezon and Ling cod and those red rockfish? The giant sun stars and purple anemone and Spanish shawl nudis. Sigh if it is really going away well... it will be time for me to go to in a while. But I wish I could have died thinking that was all going strong. I saw god in the form of a cod on the rocky reefs of the kelp forest, appearing out of camouflage, watching me like a Cheshire Cat, closest thing to a spiritual experience I’ve known, seeing that world.

All the fish are alive and well. Actually more fish of all sorts than I’ve seen in a long time. The kelp is gone for now. The stars are coming back but we’re not seeing the giant sunflower stars at all. Those are the ones that will take out urchins like a lawn mower. There are lots of urchin barens now, thousands of those little light purple ones. I’m waiting for the weather to clear up, then I’m going to hit the water and get to work.
Anybody that wants to come along can PM me and get the details, or I’ll post it in the Norcal forum. The more volunteers out there conducting this experiment the better chances of success. We’re just concentrating on Stillwater at the moment to see if our efforts will have any actual impact.
Bring your fishing license and big goody bag. You’ll also need to expidite your acquired taste for sea urchins (uni). Bring your wasabi and soy sauce, it helps.

If the Department of Fish and Wildlife can manage to keep the poachers at bay the abalone might have a chance. Now that there is zero take it will be easier for them to patrol and bust those A-holes. The problem is that the abs have all moved up right close to the beaches because that’s where the food is. It also makes them easy targets for poachers.
Time to go Sea Hunt on them and cut a few hoses!

 

[boulderjohn]

When I dived Thailand off a liveaboard, we went to several sites that had apparently recently been must-see dive sites. When we dived them, they were just plain rubble, and i wondered why we were wasting our time there. The sites had been quite literally blown to pieces by dynamite fishing.

I am not sure how well nature overcomes dynamite.

I dived the GBR about 18 years ago and again 2 years ago--the difference was staggering. The liveaboard's director of diving said he believed the entire GBR will not be worth diving in 20 years.

I dived Andros Island in the Bahamas a few years ago, once a prime dive location. We dived acres and acres of dead, white coral, with occasional lionfish as the only real inhabitants of note.

I snorkeled Akumal Bay 20 years ago--what a fabulous site. I have been there several times in the last 6 years, and I was appalled at the difference. I have not been there in 2 years or so, but we get regular newsletters from the place where we stay, and they are quite upfront about what is happening and what kinds of efforts are being made to try to help. Apparently, if we return, we will see devastation far beyond what we saw only a couple years ago.

So, if all of this is being balanced by nature rebuilding somewhere else, I would like to know where that is so I can go and see it.

 

[scrane]

Roatan is certainly not improving with age. Whether it be human introduced invasive species or abnormally high water temperatures, I don't see too bright a future.
I even hear rumors that things are not going so well on the GBR.
Islands of floating plastic?
We really don't need to worry about the future. It has already passed us by.