I imagine that our mere presence has some kind of impact on the environment. When taking photographs or videos I often use a long selfie stick which helps to keep me away from corals and sponges etc. Occasionally the current might cause me to have slight unintended contact with a reef and I try to regain my normal position as quickly and harmlessly as possible. All of this may be fine and sound very noble however I have seen sea turtles demolishing fairly large areas of a reef with no consideration for the sponges and coral while they rip apart the plants and consume large amounts of them and deliberately inflict more damage in a few minutes than I probably ever will in my lifetime. While taking videos etc. I often have critters approach me. This is their choice and I usually am very happy to get a nice, close-up, frontal shot. If I attempt to video a creature and it takes off I simply find another more willing subject. I have no idea what effect my video may have on a filefish's mating or feeding or whatever but they seem friendly and interested in me just as I am in them...
You brought up some interesting points for me so I appreciate it. After thinking about it, I've come to the personal conclusion that...
A turtle decimating a reef falls into the natural cycle of life existing in balance for quite some time.
No judgment on you, but I believe there's a difference between a sudden unexpected current & diving in an area with current in general. If it's the former (e.g., a down current where a diver hits into a wall or has to use the wall to stop themselves), I'm ok with that. If it's the latter (e.g., surge, drift dives, areas with occasional current, etc.), then I think I should now plan to keep further away to avoid inadvertently touching the reef. (I didn't have this specific plan before your comment. And I have touched the reef before though I thought I was keeping my distance. But if I am inadvertently touching the reef in this latter case, this now means to me that I made a mistake, was too close & need to plan better in the future.)
...What concerns me the most, at least at this time, is the effect on the reefs by the development on land adjacent to the reefs. At the Cozumel Museum they have some interesting charts and graphs etc. explaining what they think the effects will be of too much development and seem to have a very good idea of how much is too much. I would be interested in knowing if there is a direct correlation between building hotels on the beach and the demise of coral reefs. From what I saw at the museum it sounds like the consequences of a few hotels may be much greater than hundreds or even thousands of careful divers swimming around taking pictures and sightseeing.
I think you're right about the development being of huge negative impact & it's interesting to note. I generally don't like staying at sprawling resorts, all inclusives, etc., but even staying in a town with too much development means I'm supporting the strain on the natural resources so I will add this to my list as well when considering where to dive. However, avoiding the development doesn't mean I shouldn't also be extremely careful underwater. I don't have to choose between these two, but in trying to minimize my impact, I can be careful with both.
...I can't see how anyone who has ever seen a porcupine fish in the wild could be other than repulsed by a dried, inflated fish with plastic wiggle eyes. I mean, is there anything on this planet that is cuter and friendlier-looking?
Ick! I have not seen that before, but I have seen similar things with baby sharks in glass bottles.
