Another Lion fish dinner

[gopbroek]

" The divemaster did not spear it. I asked after the dive why and he said they didn't carry spears. "

Very interesting change in policy. Last time I was in Coz was July 2012 and the Aqua Safari guides were very aggressively spearing lionfish. Since then, Aqua Safari was sold to a new owner.......

For a DM to carry a spear it adds to his ‘task loading’ and the DM may or may not have the available skill set VS. task loading to deal with it. Example dive master A has 8 divers including 4 who are doing their first saltwater dive, in a current, that is a heavy load, a spear would not be a good idea. Dive master B has 8 intermediate to advanced divers and spears the occasional lionfish, no problem (and the more dead lionfish the better) that is a manageable load. Now in a large commercial Diving operation I can understand a management decision to bow out and to try and even out the experience for all, if nothing else for safety in a large operation.

 

[bobfmdc]

I have always had mixed feelings about the DMs devoting a lot of time to killing lion fish. On one hand, I like that they are killing these things off. We have been to places where the don't (e.g., Curacao a few years ago) and there are 4 or 5 lion fish on every coral head. But on the other hand, I am paying this guide to guide, i.e., find neat stuff for me to look at. I can take care of myself, but I can't find a seahorse if my life depended on it.