How to react to bad diver etiquette (coral poaching/destruction etc)
- Thread starter Fexei
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
ATJ
Contributor
What if they were catching the octopus to remove a fishing hook and line which was stuck in it?
ATJ
Contributor
Not at all!
I presented a perfectly valid situation where the other people misunderstood what happening to illustrate that it isn't always obvious what is happening!
Bubblesong
Contributor
On a Bahamas snorkel boat in a marine park, a selfish person came out of the water with a perfect fan coral for her “ beach decor” and laid it on the boat deck. I slid my fin under it and looked at my husband and he said, “Send it high” and so I flipped it over the side of the boat. No words of reproach from anyone.
For the Photographer Phuck Ups:
For the Photographer Phuck Ups:
A Fine target, the camera-dragging tw@t,
to send Weaponized Warhammers at.
While he’s downstream destroying
I’m upstream deploying
He can photograph that, which I shat, the asshat.
to send Weaponized Warhammers at.
While he’s downstream destroying
I’m upstream deploying
He can photograph that, which I shat, the asshat.
Damselfish
Contributor
I've been in a few situations where I said something to someone in front of a DM, or something to a DM.privately.
It generally appears they didn't want to confront a customer, but that they were glad someone said something, and then they would chime in or do something.
I figure once they knew they would make a customer unhappy whether they did something or not, they may as well do something about the problem..
It generally appears they didn't want to confront a customer, but that they were glad someone said something, and then they would chime in or do something.
I figure once they knew they would make a customer unhappy whether they did something or not, they may as well do something about the problem..
@ATJ yeah sometimes the wildlife just wants to interfere with you 
on one of my first dives in the Red Sea a quite huge remora attached himself to me.
First at my leg, I thought my buddy wanted to get my attention, then between my legs. thats when i first saw the fish. I got a bit concerned with him choosing my crotch for a resting place. After nibbling on my hair he decided to go for my mask. Was quite exciting seeing the suckerplate at work.
Thanks all for sharing your point of view. Some stories are exactly the situations I was thinking about. And i have to be honest, I dont know if I had reacted as coolheaded. @Cali_diver Ugh I will have a nightmare about green wetsuit eco-terrorists today.
on one of my first dives in the Red Sea a quite huge remora attached himself to me.
First at my leg, I thought my buddy wanted to get my attention, then between my legs. thats when i first saw the fish. I got a bit concerned with him choosing my crotch for a resting place. After nibbling on my hair he decided to go for my mask. Was quite exciting seeing the suckerplate at work.
Thanks all for sharing your point of view. Some stories are exactly the situations I was thinking about. And i have to be honest, I dont know if I had reacted as coolheaded. @Cali_diver Ugh I will have a nightmare about green wetsuit eco-terrorists today.
I think your point is valid for situations that are not black/white. I stated the same early in the thread. However in my understanding there are black/white situations with no wiggleroom. Many such cases in this thread. And its what my initial question is about.
I have absolutely no intention to be a scuba Stasi and make a fuss about situations i misunderstand or simply have no knowledge about but if i see an overweighted groundflounder dredging a path of destruction in 2000year old coral or that guy that mistakes a coral reef for IKEA accesoire department I will not tolerate or give the benefit of the doubt.
drk5036
Contributor
My advice: if you don’t like seeing people touch/harass the wildlife, don’t dive in Japan.
I don’t think people should touch the wildlife, but I also don’t think suddenly bagging lobsters or harpooning fish is acceptable either. If I was on a dive and someone moved a starfish to get a better picture, and someone else shot a fish, I’d be much more upset about the person spear fishing.
I am happy to just swim by and look at the fish. I think scuba should be a spectator sport. Just my feelings on the matter.
I don’t think people should touch the wildlife, but I also don’t think suddenly bagging lobsters or harpooning fish is acceptable either. If I was on a dive and someone moved a starfish to get a better picture, and someone else shot a fish, I’d be much more upset about the person spear fishing.
I am happy to just swim by and look at the fish. I think scuba should be a spectator sport. Just my feelings on the matter.
Is it a local thing or is it the tourists?
As to the other stuff about spearfishing: While I have absolutely no problem with a responsible hunter, I would not feel comfortable diving close to a spearfisher simply for my personal security, since all my previous and planned dive locations are potential shark territory. I would not like to be close to a bleeding wiggling fish and a OWT decides to go into feed mode
Similar threads
