Better diving after pandemic?

[jmcgilroy]

I just returned on Monday and the place is shutting down most venues...who knows how long. DiveFriends, BuddyDive and Capt Don's were still diving but obviously this will change with demand. The most notable comment was that most Islanders are happy about the stoppage of cruise ships.

 

[Dan]

In some area in Indonesia, it could be worse. For example, Wakatobi Resort "rents" the reef from the local land owners and employs some of the locals to work in the resort so they won't bomb the coral reefs to get some fish. During the pandemic, having no income from the visiting divers, they would resume to bombing away the reef to feed themselves.

 

[Linda Cash]

Members of the Wakatobi team have remained on the island to maintain the Resort and Pelagian dive yacht, assure all continues to remain in top working condition, and of course, to work with and assist the local community for continued protection of our beautiful, healthy reefs.

 

[wgw04024]

On one of our trips to Bonaire, we were at the beach/docks where East Coast diving puts there inflatable in and out. There was one of those brightly colored local fishing boats tied up, and they just had begun offloading their catch. I walked in that direction, and the boat WAS FULL to the rim with fish. Big small, all sorts of species. They just lumped them into the back of a small truck, freighted. That boat can't have much of a range....

 

[pclark2]

I'm curious how much the coral restoration efforts will be affected.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

In some area in Indonesia, it could be worse. For example, Wakatobi Resort "rents" the reef from the local land owners and employs some of the locals to work in the resort so they won't bomb the coral reefs to get some fish. During the pandemic, having no income from the visiting divers, they would resume to bombing away the reef to feed themselves.

I had homemade bombs dropped within a half mile of where I was diving at a national preserve in Cebu philippines. Nalusuan and another ...bombing both areas. itll get worse now.

 

[nippurmagnum]

I just returned on Monday and the place is shutting down most venues...who knows how long. DiveFriends, BuddyDive and Capt Don's were still diving but obviously this will change with demand. The most notable comment was that most Islanders are happy about the stoppage of cruise ships.

I suspect that the stoppage of the cruise ships will do far more for reef health than the reduced number of divers. That's based on candid comments I heard from several long-time Bonaire dive pros. The amount of sand that those floating cities kick up every time they move in and out of port is astounding.

The cruise ship industry is taking a beating and it has very few friends, because Liberia is not writing too many trillion dollar bailout checks, and local economies generally benefit little from cruise ship invading hordes and understandably don't miss them.

 

[Ian Popple]

The reefs will likely not change that much in the space of a couple of months, but the effect on the dive industry itself is of serious concern!

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I think any industry that depends heavily on discretionary income is going to be at least fractionally fcked.

 

[Esprise Me]

I think any industry that depends heavily on discretionary income is going to be at least fractionally fcked.

Maybe. It's hard to tell what the precise economic impact will be. A lot of white-collar folks are working from home right now. Business in a few industries is booming, and some companies are getting bailouts. While there's likely to be an overall reduction of wealth, it may not be evenly distributed. The rich might stay rich or even get richer, while the poor get poorer and the middle class continues to shrink. That in turn could have disparate impacts on different industries. Maybe those who sell affordable indulgences will be screwed while those who sell insanely overpriced crap will survive.