Is diving in the Caribbean dying?

[Rhone Man]

Do you know what you are talking about?

Didn't your mother tell you never to talk to crazy people?

Also: old tyres make good artificial reefs. Just my opinion, YMMV.

 

[TSandM]

The biggest problem with this discussion is the lack of a real baseline, and reproducible observations over time. Please, if you have a destination you frequent, check out projectbaseline.org. ANYONE can start a baseline project; the idea is to record sites in a reproducible way, so that changes can be documented, and that information can be used to shape policy. I wish more dive resorts would take this up as a way to engage their clients in citizen science.

 

[Wookie]

The biggest problem with this discussion is the lack of a real baseline, and reproducible observations over time. Please, if you have a destination you frequent, check out projectbaseline.org. ANYONE can start a baseline project; the idea is to record sites in a reproducible way, so that changes can be documented, and that information can be used to shape policy. I wish more dive resorts would take this up as a way to engage their clients in citizen science.

That's exactly how we applied to be the first US liveaboard into Cuba, is to conduct Citizen Scientist baseline surveys of the Cuba shelf. Permits from Dept. of Treasury and Commerce pending....

 

[nolatom]

That's exactly how we applied to be the first US liveaboard into Cuba, is to conduct Citizen Scientist baseline surveys of the Cuba shelf. Permits from Dept. of Treasury and Commerce pending....

Frank, Melanie, that's great, I always knew the SPREE was cutting-edge. May you get those permits. Would that mean you'd be based out of Cuba during the surveys, or commute out of Key West? This is exciting.

---------- Post added May 4th, 2015 at 09:42 AM ----------

 

[Wookie]

Frank, Melanie, that's great, I always knew the SPREE was cutting-edge. May you get those permits. Would that mean you'd be based out of Cuba during the surveys, or commute out of Key West? This is exciting.

The permit applied for was commute from Key West. Easier to haul the scientists and their gear that way.

 

[nolatom]

Could decreasing numbers of divers/trips be a byproduct of boomers gradually aging out of the sport?

Not sure if this was the original question, but would seem to relate?



PS I don't wanna age out, but definitely a boomer.

 

[ReefHouseResort]

Many of our customers have been coming every year or so for the last 15-20 years, including many that learned to dive here back when they were in their teens. They come back because the reef here is practically unchanged from that time. There is a smaller number of fish, as much the result of lionfish (come help us spear some ) as fishing, but the even the change in fish numbers in minimal and at times unnoticeable as we do still have large schools come through. The Reef itself is glorious, though, mainly as a result of lower numbers of divers and dive shops on this end of the island. In short, its not dead, there are places its still wonderful. You just have to find them.

 

[Wookie]

I agree with ReefHouse above. The reefs in the Dry Tortugas are measurably better now than they were when we started collecting baseline data in the early 90's, and the fish life and diversity is far better. Part of the reason is that most of the Dry Tortugas is protected from fishing and anchoring, part is that there is no development there to cause excess nutrients on the reef. Cay Sal Bank is just as good as the old timers say it was, although poaching is a problem there. Way south Santaran Channel in the Bahamas is outstanding.

What is dying is our divers. There are fewer and fewer every year.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Any chance it is Economic related? I was more curious if it is age or $$$ related. But you are in the business and I believe your observation.

 

[Wookie]

Any chance it is Economic related? I was more curious if it is age or $$$ related. But you are in the business and I believe your observation.

I don't believe so, I think it is age related. Kids these days are funny. They don't spend money like us Boomers/tweeners do. They don't put dive trips on credit cards, they pay cash. They don't get 30 year mortgages on houses, they rent or live in Mom's basement. They work to save enough money to travel, then quit their jobs and bum around Asia. Diving is a part of that, but rental gear is good enough, and they don't blow $10k on a dive trip, $10k keeps them in ramen and youth hostels for 6 months.

The diving industry is not set up to cater to them. We're set up to cater to a couple who take 1 small dive trip and 1 big dive trip per year, and have a condo at Vail. Their small trip may be a weekend on the Spree or in Key Largo, their big trip may be on the Arenui or at Truk, and they ski every weekend. Those folks are selling the Vail property and buying a condo at Sarasota or Siesta Key and they aren't diving quite so much. If at all.