Camera ban coming to Sipadan?
- Thread starter cageybob
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I don't have any problem of getting close to them without smacking into something else. What other divers can/cannot do are their problems.
I do not need to use a pointer to "coax" a ghost pipe fish from its hiding. I just leave it ALONE.
Some divers think "no gloves" policy is stupid but that do not stop some areas banning gloves.
Luko
Contributor
I also agree with posters claiming that the camera is not the issue rather the badly trained & poorly buoyant diver.
I went to Sipadan on 5 occasions from early 2004 to end 2010, last time I dived Sipadan my feeling was that :
1- Photo opportunities on Sipadan where mostly off and away from the wall with the barracudas, the jackfish, turtles, sharks swimming in free water. I don't see how a photographer could hurt any coral, except at the bottom, 600m depth, but then his housing would be leaking.
2- Most of the coral touching/breaking divers looked like parts of either asian or russian groups left on their own, no DM around. Their poor aquacity seemed they had not dived recently or before the end of the last century. I even had to help a russian diver latching back his tank that was floating away, while his wife was snapping some coral bits from the wall. None of them had cameras.
3- Hard corals were in very good shape in the southern areas (South point), except for circular part or a 2-3m radius, where corals where completely blown away, some of them laying upside down. Would you blame that on photographers?
4- I found that there were fewer midsized fish than before. I remember 9 years ago jackfish schools the size of a cloud, darkening the surface while in 2010 they could easily fit in my dSLR frame. Maybe that's a coincidence but I also noticed fishing boats not further than a few hundred meters from Sipadan shores. None of the fishermen were carrying cameras.
5- I didn't spot any pygmy seahorse on my >80 dives in Sipadan so I couldn't tell whether Sipadan photogs would damage and touch the Muricella seafan or even the seahorses, whereas I found Mabul area was getting overcrowded with photographers and there were less and less critters, no more pygmy seahorse for instance
. (because the pygmies are on Mabul, not on Sipadan but hey, btw... the camera ban is only for Sipadan area right?)
Out of joke I would also agree if they just shut down Sipadan for one or 2 years, but I mean REALLY shut it down to anyone, fishermen included.
But I don't think the authorities will have the guts to do it, so they prefer to blame something else.
I went to Sipadan on 5 occasions from early 2004 to end 2010, last time I dived Sipadan my feeling was that :
1- Photo opportunities on Sipadan where mostly off and away from the wall with the barracudas, the jackfish, turtles, sharks swimming in free water. I don't see how a photographer could hurt any coral, except at the bottom, 600m depth, but then his housing would be leaking.
2- Most of the coral touching/breaking divers looked like parts of either asian or russian groups left on their own, no DM around. Their poor aquacity seemed they had not dived recently or before the end of the last century. I even had to help a russian diver latching back his tank that was floating away, while his wife was snapping some coral bits from the wall. None of them had cameras.
3- Hard corals were in very good shape in the southern areas (South point), except for circular part or a 2-3m radius, where corals where completely blown away, some of them laying upside down. Would you blame that on photographers?
4- I found that there were fewer midsized fish than before. I remember 9 years ago jackfish schools the size of a cloud, darkening the surface while in 2010 they could easily fit in my dSLR frame. Maybe that's a coincidence but I also noticed fishing boats not further than a few hundred meters from Sipadan shores. None of the fishermen were carrying cameras.
5- I didn't spot any pygmy seahorse on my >80 dives in Sipadan so I couldn't tell whether Sipadan photogs would damage and touch the Muricella seafan or even the seahorses, whereas I found Mabul area was getting overcrowded with photographers and there were less and less critters, no more pygmy seahorse for instance
. (because the pygmies are on Mabul, not on Sipadan but hey, btw... the camera ban is only for Sipadan area right?)Out of joke I would also agree if they just shut down Sipadan for one or 2 years, but I mean REALLY shut it down to anyone, fishermen included.
But I don't think the authorities will have the guts to do it, so they prefer to blame something else.
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InTheDrink
Contributor
Uli Kunkel
Contributor
This is a great idea! While we are at it lets ban all divers of certain nationalities who have a proven track record for complete disregard of marine life.
How does, "No Chinese Divers" sound?
or, perhaps "No Russians under any circumstances" ???
How does, "No Chinese Divers" sound?
or, perhaps "No Russians under any circumstances" ???
Unfortunately most stereotypes have some basis in actual reality. From my experience in Egypt removing the russians would massively help reef conservation!
---------- Post added March 18th, 2013 at 01:16 AM ----------
Has this ban already come into force?
I found this on Sipadan Scubas website:
Are they just jumpning the gun (if so, they've just lost me as a potential customer) or is it actually a rule for all just nobody else is saying (in which case, the entire region has just lost me as a potential customer!)?
---------- Post added March 18th, 2013 at 01:16 AM ----------
Has this ban already come into force?
I found this on Sipadan Scubas website:
Are they just jumpning the gun (if so, they've just lost me as a potential customer) or is it actually a rule for all just nobody else is saying (in which case, the entire region has just lost me as a potential customer!)?
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Allison Finch
Contributor
I recently dived with a group of Russians in the Philippines, and I will admit that they were really something. I have dived all over and with many nationalities, but of this large group, there was an amazing lack of concern for the reef. I was waiting for over 10 minutes for a beautiful yellow seahorse to swim to a position where I could photograph him. I just waited and waited. One of the Russian "photographers", seeing I was watching something intently, decided I must have something great. He bashed in front of me, pushing me aside. There was a branch of staghorn coral in his way, so he grabbed it and broke the whole branch off. I was so pissed, I just swam away in disgust. The DM's said nothing to him, when I raised a fuss. AND, all but one were drunk almost the whole trip.
So, yes....there is often some thread of truth to some stereotypes. I would have loved to have been proven wrong.
As for Sipadan, I just wasn't all that impressed with the place. You can get great turtle shots, but the muck around Mabul was more interesting for shots, IMO.
So, yes....there is often some thread of truth to some stereotypes. I would have loved to have been proven wrong.
As for Sipadan, I just wasn't all that impressed with the place. You can get great turtle shots, but the muck around Mabul was more interesting for shots, IMO.
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You could add Arab divers too, but I think in the end any diver of whatever nationality who is poorly trained should not be allowed to dive Sipadan.
When I was last there in 2011, there was a Chinese girl who had absolutely no control over her buoyancy and although I never saw her grabbing coral, she frequently destroyed visibility through her vertical posture and constant finning. I was shocked to see a well known diver operator allow her to go to Sipadan after watching her horrendous check out dive.
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