Fish Food to use during snorkeling

[pectin232]

Going to Grand Cayman this late Sept... with some kids... what food to use when during some shallow snorkeling to attract fish so as to take some underwater pictures? Advise/ suggestions?

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I'd advise you not to feed the fish. Doing so screws up the ecosystem, teaches fish to associate people with food (and that includes the ones with big teeth...) and is just generally a bad idea.

 

[diversteve]

Seadine's Snorkel Snax Underwater Fish Food

 

[fisheater]

I'm with Dirty-Dog on this.

Don't feed the fish, the squirrels, the deer, etc.

 

[robint]

ditto.... do not feed the fish. Not only are you messing with nature, you are teaching your children a bad lesson, too.

I can't tell you how many people we saw in Cozumel feeding fish at Chankanaab park while snorkeling, and then complaining about getting bitten. Plus we have several friends who fed fish back 20+ years ago with same problem... the fish started biting, sometimes even drawing blood.

robin

 

[KaizerWilhelm]

I am on the "don't feed the fish" band wagon, too. Don't feed any wild animal for that matter. Like Dirty-Dog said, it screws up the ecosystem.

 

[knotical]

If we're really concerned about screwing up nature, we probably shouldn't dive. We introduce our perspiration and skin cells, some leaching from our cylinders and lead weights, often spit, urine, suntan oil, vomit, makeup, etc.

In the hierarchy of sins we commit against nature, using a natural product as diversteve suggested is well down the list.

I agree that human food is probably not best for the fish.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

If we're really concerned about screwing up nature, we probably shouldn't dive. We introduce our perspiration and skin cells, some leaching from our cylinders and lead weights, often spit, urine, suntan oil, vomit, makeup, etc.

In the hierarchy of sins we commit against nature, using a natural product as diversteve suggested is well down the list.

I agree that human food is probably not best for the fish.

I'd be very suprised to hear that you really do not see a difference between unavoidable introduction and intentional introduction.
While a commercial fish food may be a lesser sin than, say, a hotdog, it's still better to simply leave the fish alone.

 

[Marek K]

In fact, see the Cayman Islands Department of Environment rules here:
http://www.doe.ky/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/marine-parks-january-2008.pdf

On the first page, under Wildlife Interaction Zones, it says, "No feeding any marine life with food of any kind or amount other than that approved by the Marine Conservation Board."

It used to be (at least as of the mid-1980s) that divemasters would regularly take cans of Cheez-Whiz and induce fish feeding frenzies on the reefs. Horrible idea, in retrospect. Fortunately none of that now.

You'll see enough fish the normal way...

 

[vladimir]

Take them to stingray city if you are comfortable with the small risk of the kids getting bitten by animals habituated to divers. The site is shallow, and bites are pretty rare. You can probably put the kids through a discover scuba course in a few hours and make a dive out of it, instead of a snorkel.