DM's becoming circus performers

[Ocean9545]

I know there is mucho debate over removing the Lionfish from the reefs. I am not here to debate if they need to be killed. I am posting because I am disgusted by numerous DM's and DO's that now think it is normal to behave like circus performers !!!
Killing the Lionfish is one thing.....teaching divers that it is ok to touch, harass and feed the sharks and eels is quite another. Yes, their behavior HAS changed due to feeding!!! It used to be fun to discover a sleeping shark or spot a moray under a ledge....now...just put a Lionfish at the end of a pole and watch the circus.
This will most likely continue until someone gets hurt....and that someone will probably be a shark or eel getting stabbed with a spear gun when they become overly aggressive ......just sad





Nurse Shark in Cozumel - YouTube. DM circus performer

PICT0170 - YouTube. Where do you think this guy learned this ?

Green Moray hangout with scuba divers. Cozumel, Mexico. - YouTube. Watch the footage a 2 min 40 seconds

And NO these are not isolated incidents.....there are numerous clips like this on YouTube now.

 

[diver 85]

Re the green eel, our son(who lived on Roatan from age 19 thru 22 as a DM/instructor/videographer @ AKR in the later '90's thru early 2000's) had one like that for a while, lived in Half Moon Bay ....He kinda thought of him/her as his best friend---TILL---one day it bit him & needed stiches & was out of the water for several days........Luckily NO digits were lost--or mamed........They're all 'wild' animals & no telling what their next move could/will be......That's the chances you take, but all of life's like that, isn't it???????

 

[tech_diver]

I can certainly understand and agree with the OP's position. However, I think the circus DM's predate the lionfish situation. If you search scubaboard for the terms "harass marine" you'll see ugly incidents going back many, many years. The environmentally insensitive things that went on with divers in the 1970s should have caused all marine life to rise up against humanity.

While it isn't hard to find the circus DMs, I want to believe that there are also some DMs with a new awareness of (bouyancy) not touching the reef, not touching the animals. Some DMs stopped using cheese whiz just because it's unhealthy for the fish. I still eat the stuff myself but now wouldn't feed it to a fish.

Hopefully over time, DMs of the new awareness will outnumber the circus DMs.

When I was a working DM, I used to blow bubble rings for the tourists on their safety stop. ... kind of a circus thing to do... pondering new specialty, "Circus Dive Master"

 

[Mike]

This will most likely continue until someone gets hurt....and that someone will probably be a shark or eel getting stabbed with a spear gun when they become overly aggressive ......just sad

I hope it will end at the expense of a shark or eel, however I doubt that will end it. My fear is when a person gets bit by an eel as a result of this silly experiment that has been going on for over 5 years.

You'd think that dive masters and dive operators would be more in tune with marine biology and behavior then their clients, but many certainly are not.

 

[cb5150]

I agree 100%. I was diving in Grand Cayman last Thursday with Don Fosters. The DM gave us a briefing about not touching the reef, sea life, etc. Then she said there would be a friendly nurse shark that would swim around us and that everyone should refrain from touching the shark. So what does the DM do when the shark shows up? You guessed it! She swam right over and started touching the shark. Now you tell me, what kind of message does that send to the newer divers in a group?

I've got it all on video and will use it as a "What Not To Do" training tool for my students.

 

[Ocean9545]

I guess I need to clarify. My post is not just to point out DM acting like circus performers....it was also to point out how feeding the Lionfish to these creatures is changing their normal behavior. I understand the Lionfish need to be killed, but that DOES NOT mean they need to drag the dead body throughout the dive and use it to lure creatures into the circus ring. On several dives 2014 in Cozumel, the DM's were allowing divers to carry small spears....kill Lionfish....and join in the circus. If the DM's don't respect the marine park rules.....how can they expect divers to follow the rules ? I would just like to see this behavior changed....and NO...I do not have the answer. I am just posting this to say, in my opinion, there is a problem.

 

[diverokc]

Well you know in yellowstone they have to destroy bears that have become to "freindly" to humans feeding them. The animal always loses.

 

[Christi]

I guess I need to clarify. My post is not just to point out DM acting like circus performers....it was also to point out how feeding the Lionfish to these creatures is changing their normal behavior. I understand the Lionfish need to be killed, but that DOES NOT mean they need to drag the dead body throughout the dive and use it to lure creatures into the circus ring. On several dives 2014 in Cozumel, the DM's were allowing divers to carry small spears....kill Lionfish....and join in the circus. If the DM's don't respect the marine park rules.....how can they expect divers to follow the rules ? I would just like to see this behavior changed....and NO...I do not have the answer. I am just posting this to say, in my opinion, there is a problem.

This is a very clear and blatant violation of park rules and should be reported!

I will add that ANY DM/Instructor/snorkel guide touching, picking up, puffing up, harassing, riding, feeding, etc. any marine life should be reported with pictures if possible to the marine park AND to their dive op manager/owner. Some of these guys are trying to "entertain" and show how "cool" they are to earn more tips. I suggest withholding tips for this kind of disgusting behavior and let them know why so that they can realize this is NOT what people want!

Tell them u will tip more if they handle your nasty wetsuit for you - but NOT for harassing marine life (that one was for you Mossman)

Rant off Thank you for your attention

 

[Ocean9545]

No worries Christi.....it has been reported. I hope the violations are taken seriously by the marine park. There has been no reply from them so no way to know.

 

[Sue Sue]

One way to deter the show and tell "Circus" behavior from Divermasters is to not dive with them or at the least do not tip them. Also, if the Divemaster/Guide or any diver in your group decides to show off their Fish rodeo skills, turn away from them and do not give them an audience. Providing video and/or reporting incidents to your divemaster and Dive Op is important, but also diving with a Dive Op who follows and enforces the rules is important as well. The marine park rules are there to protect not only the the marine life and coral but also divers as well.

Unfortunately, feeding lionfish to the Nurse Shark and Morays for instance is an easy way to provide entertainment to divers who do not realize the harm. I agree with the folks who have posted their opinions that active hunting and killing of Lionfish has made a positive impact on the Cozumel Marine Park Reefs and I agree that the problem overall is here to stay. I also agree that feeding the killed Lionfish to marine life is not only a danger to divers as it does encourage marine aggressive behavior, but, it also endangers the marine life. Eventually, a wild animal, marine or otherwise, will find the easy dinner something to fight for and ultimately will have to be destroyed to avoid harm to humans. "A fed bear is a dead bear" is sadly something that is very true.

So where is the solution? I think a good method is hunting, killing and bringing the catch to the surface. This process is used on Bonaire and I think it is very efficient and effective. There, Divemasters as well as visiting divers who have been certified may hunt lionfish. They kill and bring the catch to the surface to be cleaned and consumed. Many of the restaurants have Pez Lion on their menus including Pasa Bon Pizza, which, for those in the know is a very popular spot. Granted, having recreational divers with lionfish hunting gear who do not have good buoyancy skills running amok in the currents and on the reefs of Cozumel may not be a great idea. Protecting the reef from damage is very important, however, those who do hunt lionfish in Cozumel could stop feeding the marine life and bring the kill to the surface. With that said, one of the tools used in Bonaire is the Zookeeper. It is a very efficient way of holding the catch until a diver gets to surface. The tube can be used by one diver or perhaps a buddy team. Check out these sites for the Zookeepr in action.


ttp://www.zkstore.com/

ttp://vimeo.com/31425377

BTW-I have NO vested interest in Zookeeper or any lionfish hunting gear for that matter...just throwing out an idea for some thought and discussion.