Any dive shops that do not chum the water or handle marine life?

[AudraKay]

Hello fellow scuba divers -

I've seen at least one dive operator website with pictures of the owner hugging a shark during a dive, and numerous youtube videos of DMs chumming the water and/or encouraging divers to touch the marine life. I am personally against both of these practices - when diving, I want to see the fish as they would be naturally, not tempted by food or manhandled. I have been diving in Belize, St. Lucia, Barbados and Curacao and this is the first location for me where this seems to be "the norm".

Can anyone give me recommendations of operators that do not chum the water or handle marine life? We will be diving off of Ambergris Caye.

Thank you in advance!

 

[bbarada]

Amigos Del Mar does both.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Our policy at Splash is to not chum and to not handle sea life.
Regards
Ralph

 

[peterbj7]

I can't think of any on AC.

 

[AudraKay]

Well I can book dives with at least one shop on Ambergris Caye! Just found out that Ecologic Divers does not chum or handle sea life. YEY

 

[AWMIII]

Well I can book dives with at least one shop on Ambergris Caye! Just found out that Ecologic Divers does not chum or handle sea life. YEY

I'll believe it when you get back and report on it.

 

[peterbj7]

And maybe not even then. The same staff work for all dive centers here, rotating occasionally. Perhaps there is one that is outside that loop ... perhaps.

 

[Downing]

Lol. Maybe AK should switch to Placencia and dive with Splash. No chumming, no touching. Just good old fashioned watching.

Btw, Ecologic Divers got a nice shot of its dive shop broadcast nationwide during the John McAfee story last week on NBC's Dateline. All in all, Belize in general and AC in particular came across quite well on the program. His teenage "girlfriends," not so much.

 

[chillyinCanada]

To OP, if you don't go on any dives scheduled to Esmeralda or a snorkel trip out to Hol Chan, you might get lucky enough not to see such practices.

 

[marsha4907]

I was just in Belize and was appalled to see people touching the nurse sharks.

I mostly dove with Ecological Divers and they absolutely forbid touching the reef and/or the sea life. In fact, they would not let me wear my gloves because they said people may be tempted to touch the reef. But on the day that Ecological Divers did not have any boats going out I dove with another company (Chuck and Robbie's) and the diver who was doing her open water checkout dive came out of the water exclaiming how exciting it was to hug a shark. So obviously it's not only encourage, but TAUGHT!!! Needless to say, I did not go back to them and would never reccommend the shop.