Caribe Blu shore dive?

[ggunn]

Thanks Sharky and selo. That helps me quite a bit. Glad to hear the Dive op isn't totally over the top on slow divers. Just knowing what you saw down there is helpful setting up ahead of time. I'm real curious about this Ray pen and may try for some W/A shots of Rays behind the wire. Sometimes the right photo can help bring attention to their plight. Although it seems unlikely anyone cares enough to do anything.
Thanks again for the info. Really appreciate it.
Rand

At the risk of making myself unpopular, I've gotta say that I don't see how this stingray pen is any worse than the aquariums (aquaria?) that are in most major US cities near the coast. It's not like the stingrays are all massed against the walls of the pen dragging their tin cups against the bars.

 

[Daxter]

Gordon, I think the problem comes into play with the care the stingrays are going to receive. Most aquariums are set up for a certain amount of fish, the tanks are built in patterns to allow enough space and movement for them. The aquariums have full medical staff, nutritional staff, and constant watch for their environment. I dont think I would be going out on a limb to say that this is more of a money grab from the pod people. I bet the thinking runs more along the lines of "if one get sick there are always many more in the sea". It would be interesting to find out what standards the pen is being held to.

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

I'm wondering where they got the stingrays from in the first place. Did they need to get some kind of permit to do this? If they came from reefs we dive on there, then that's 16 fewer stingrays I'll see the next time I dive. If they are mutilating the animals self-defense mechanism to keep them in captivity and safe for humans, what happens when the next hurricane comes along and puts them back on the reef? It just doesn't sound like a very good idea to me.

I'm not too crazy about seeing animals in aquariums in the states either, but at least they are bringing the general public closer to marine life. Hopefully something good might come of that. However, two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[sharky60]

I wouldn't think that the rays came out of the Marine Park area, at least I would hope not.
The impression we are given is that the park is well maintained and the rules of fishing are strickly enforced.

I don't think permits would be required to catch the rays. Not to be crass, but I would imagine a simple fishing liscense would do it...your catching fish. Just depends on jurisdictions where they were taken, who knows, could have been in the Caymans, Florida, the Gulf or Bahamas for that matter. They are not endagered animals, so I don't think taking them for this purpose is a big legal issue.

If the purpose of the venture was public education and the animals had full-time medical staff and facilities, aquarists or zooligists taking care of them like in a zoo or aquarium, then maybe it would be ok. The shallow cage close to shore worries me because of wave action causing safety issues for the fish.

At the aquarium we use the animals to educate guests on the importance of taking care of the planet and thus it's inhabitants. For instance we have a sea turtle from a south Texas turtle rescue with 2 partially missing flippers. One from an apparent shark bite, the other was amputated because plastic was wrapped around and imbeded into it and the fin had to be taken off to get the plastic off the animal.

By letting people SEE what their litter can do, or physically touch an animal that they may only ever get to see on TV, you can make an emotional connection that hopefully they will carry with them and think next time they have the choice of making "green" decisions or not. It's much better than just preaching facts and gloom & doom.

 

[randapex]

Angie and I will see what we can find out about the pen. Its obviously not something we're happy about being right outside the door so to speak. But you all have been very helpful so, I'll give a full report with pics when we return.
Rand

 

[1KWIK_69]

We just did a shore dive at Caribe Blu a few days ago. As luck would
have it, we got to see the divers working on the pen. I'm sorry but
the environment right there near shore is nothing compared to the
areas the rays usually get to live in. I'm not an animal rights nut, but
I feel sorry for them and I'm glad the first bunch escaped!

 

[sharky60]

The airplane at airplane flats, May 2005

This is pre-Wilma, haven't been able to dive the area sence, hopfully this year.

 

[randapex]

WOW! Now that's a cool shot and I had no idea there was an airplane wreck there. That's going to be on my list. Hopefully, they will take us there. You can bet I'll be bugging them to. I'm very interested in that dive. Thanks for posting.
Rand

 

[eelpout]

The plane is not located by the Carib Blu, the plane is located in front of the La Cieba (don't know if that is what its still called now) Hotel.

Jim

 

[ggunn]

The plane is not located by the Carib Blu, the plane is located in front of the La Cieba (don't know if that is what its still called now) Hotel.

Jim

El Cid. There is far less left of it since Wilma, and no boat dive will take you there. You'll have to get there on a shore dive, assuming that they let you in there at all if you're not a guest of the hotel.