Article: The Number One Rule In Scuba Diving: No Touching!

[Cowfish Aesthetic]

It is common to see large areas on the bottom that have been denatured by blooms of sea urchins on the Pacific Coast. Urchins eat the base of kelp and causes it to drift out to sea or end up on the beach creating a hatchery for flies. Kelp forests are the richest marine ecosystem I have ever seen. I have no hesitation over cracking urchins open to hand feed their rowe to fish. I'm pretty sure that the fish are happy about it along with the thousands of other creatures that depend on the kelp forest to survive.

Nothing goes to waste in the ocean. Everything in it is part of the food chain, including us.

Similarly, I wonder if OP would permit lionfish culling in the Caribbean.

The problem with trying to make black-and-white rules for a gray world is that they don't work.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Similarly, I wonder if OP would permit lionfish culling in the Caribbean.

The problem with trying to make black-and-white rules for a gray world is that they don't work.

Wow. I didn't think the piece made me out to be a moron. Nor do I think the point was lost in my words. As I stated earlier, hunting is not part of the piece and clearly does not fall into the no touching rule. Neither does eliminating an invasive species.

I appreciate the responses but read the piece and see if you actually think, in any way whatsoever. I would think it is OK to allow a population such as the lion fish in the Caribbean to continue to ravage the ecosystem. I would say the wording of the article clearly shows I would not be condone that or be ok with that.

The point was to show the damage that can be done to the environment we all love to spend our time in and I used the First Rule as an attention grabber.

I agree that nothing is black and white.

 

[HantsDiver]

Another person who has done next to no diving, who already feels the need to lecture people.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Another person who has done next to no diving, who already feels the need to lecture people.

Thank you for the reply. While I am admittedly a new diver, I don't feel one needs 2500 dives to see the damage done by poking at creatures.

Can someone who has zeros dives watch a YouTube video and see the damage done to reefs by divers who have terrible buoyancy vs a diver seen in the same video with good buoyancy and trim?

I don't feel I was lecturing anyone but clearly you did so thank you for the feedback. I will make sure to get my dive numbers up!

 

[doctormike]

Wow. I didn't think the piece made me out to be a moron. Nor do I think the point was lost in my words. .

Maybe instead of reacting so defensively to people giving good faith feedback, try to listen to what people are saying. I don't think that anyone but you called you a "moron". If you admit that you are using a title to grab online attention which doesn't reflect the nuances of the article, you should anticipate this sort of reaction.

You posted your article in a public forum, and people responded to it. Instead of arguing each point, say "Hmmm... maybe you are right. That wording seems to have been ambiguous, I'll take that into consideration for my next draft. Thanks!".

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Maybe instead of reacting so defensively to people giving good faith feedback, try to listen to what people are saying. I don't think that anyone but you called you a "moron". If you admit that you are using a title to grab online attention which doesn't reflect the nuances of the article, you should anticipate this sort of reaction.

You posted your article in a public forum, and people responded to it. Instead of arguing each point, say "Hmmm... maybe you are right. That wording seems to have been ambiguous, I'll take that into consideration for my next draft. Thanks!".

If I am coming off as defensive to some, I apologize as that is not my intention. I will say that your post has led me to rethink the things I left out of the piece. I didn't feel it needed to be clarified but apparently it does so thank you for that.

As for my moron comment, the poster clearly didn't read my comments and I did not feel the comment to be good faith feedback at all unlike yours which was very much in good faith. I had mentioned previously that hunters were never the issue and could not be due to them needing to touch. I have not been on SB in some time and forgot how it can be so I will thicken the skin once again.

Thank you once again for your input.

 

[Akimbo]

Wow. I didn't think the piece made me out to be a moron.

I haven't seen any comments that would led to that conclusion. Scubaboard is a great place to exchange ideas, observations, and perspectives. It is very easy for comments to be taken as personal attacks when they are not. A thick skin, being receptive to learning, and giving the benefit of the doubt are useful attributes.

A term like "ill-informed" should be read literally. That is not pejorative, it is simply unaware. Unfortunately, rules and legislation all-to-often have unintended consequences.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I haven't seen any comments that would led to that conclusion. Scubaboard is a great place to exchange ideas, observations, and perspectives. It is very easy comments as personal attacks when they are not. A thick skin, being receptive to learning, and giving the benefit of the doubt are useful attributes.

A term like "ill-informed" should be read literally. That is not pejorative, it is simply unaware. Unfortunately, rules and legislation all-to-often have unintended consequences.

Thank you for the very well stated post. I tend to stay off Facebook due to the inflammatory nature of the discussions these days as it goes against my beliefs. So coming back here, I needed to adjust my perspective and you have opened my eyes to that.

I agree that this is a great place to share ideas and foster discussions that can help the entire diving community.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Thank you for the reply. While I am admittedly a new diver, I don't feel one needs 2500 dives to see the damage done by poking at creatures.

Can someone who has zeros dives watch a YouTube video and see the damage done to reefs by divers who have terrible buoyancy vs a diver seen in the same video with good buoyancy and trim?

I don't feel I was lecturing anyone but clearly you did so thank you for the feedback. I will make sure to get my dive numbers up!

There are a lot of things you will learn as you dive ... among them will be that diving is a very situational activity, and there are few hard and fast rules that apply under all circumstances. Your "no touching" article has, I believe, good intentions if you limit it to the examples you mentioned or pointed out. But it does not apply in a large variety of circumstances.

And how would you respond to an animal touching you? It does happen, you know. As my friend Derek here found out, sea lions can be a lot like dogs ...

Last year I was literally pushed by a whale shark in the Philippines. I was on the surface, taking a picture of another whale shark and had inadvertently gotten between this one and the food the people in the boat were dropping in the water. One of the boat guys started yelling at me to keep my distance ... but I wasn't the one who was moving, or touching. I pointed to the 25-foot critter with his snout against my hip and said "tell HIM!"

And then there was the oceanic white-tip I almost landed on when doing a giant stride off a boat in the Red Sea ... I literally had to use my camera to fend the thing off. Would you stick to your "no touching" rule if you had a shark pushing into your torso with its nose? Me neither.

I applaud your efforts to educate your readers ... and encourage you to continue doing so as your diving experience improves. But do try to keep in mind that rules of thumb are little more than easy ways to remember how to keep from getting in trouble ... and always have some caveats applied to them that you learn about as your diving experience expands to garner a broader understanding of why they exist.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

There are a lot of things you will learn as you dive ... among them will be that diving is a very situational activity, and there are few hard and fast rules that apply under all circumstances. Your "no touching" article has, I believe, good intentions if you limit it to the examples you mentioned or pointed out. But it does not apply in a large variety of circumstances.

And how would you respond to an animal touching you? It does happen, you know. As my friend Derek here found out, sea lions can be a lot like dogs ...

View attachment 441777

Last year I was literally pushed by a whale shark in the Philippines. I was on the surface, taking a picture of another whale shark and had inadvertently gotten between this one and the food the people in the boat were dropping in the water. One of the boat guys started yelling at me to keep my distance ... but I wasn't the one who was moving, or touching. I pointed to the 25-foot critter with his snout against my hip and said "tell HIM!"

And then there was the oceanic white-tip I almost landed on when doing a giant stride off a boat in the Red Sea ... I literally had to use my camera to fend the thing off. Would you stick to your "no touching" rule if you had a shark pushing into your torso with its nose? Me neither.

I applaud your efforts to educate your readers ... and encourage you to continue doing so as your diving experience improves. But do try to keep in mind that rules of thumb are little more than easy ways to remember how to keep from getting in trouble ... and always have some caveats applied to them that you learn about as your diving experience expands to garner a broader understanding of why they exist.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Fantastic, informative and thought-provoking feedback. Thank you very much. I will take some time to think further about what you have stated and try and incorporate that into future pieces.