Gloves in warm water

[Rick Murchison]

In the Bonaire Marine Park gloves are prohibited (except on the Hilma Hooker), as they are in many Caribbean areas. The reasoning is that if you don't wear gloves you're less likely to touch and destroy delicate corals.
On the U.S. Gulf coast there is no such policy and most folks do wear gloves to protect their hands.
What do you think of the "no gloves" policy? Is this a good policy? Effective? Counterproductive? Just a nuisance regulation with no impact?
Rick

 

[JessicaDodge]

I am one of those people who think that better education and less government regulation is the answer. Why? Because not everyone has to dive with a charter boat and there are places that people go when not a lot of people are around. Who's to stop them from wearing gloves? I think that peer pressure is a great motivator. I don't have a lot of diving experience so I don't know about in the diving community, but most times people will do what everyone else is doing. If you get the majority of people not to wear gloves( or touching things with gloves on) other people will fall into place. If you make it illeagal it only makes people want to do it more. That's just my opnion and with anything there are times it's not true but most of the time it is.

Jessica

 

[Spectre]

Rick Murchison once bubbled...
What do you think of the "no gloves" policy? Is this a good policy?

I've only been in the specific situation once. It wasn't that gloves weren't allowed, it was that I was renting equipment, and I didn't rent gloves.

It's the only dive I've done... and will ever do, without gloves.

Yes, I understand the philosophy, but I was a mess as I was constantly concerned about my hands... It was a distraction I didn't need.

My personal take on the whole 'argument' is. I don't plan on running out of air... why does my buddy need an octo? I don't plan on getting entangled... why do I need a cutting device? I don't plan on getting in a car crash... why do I need a seat belt? I don't plan on getting an STD, why wear a condom?

Accidents happen...

If I'm ever in a situation where "gloves aren't allowed", my gloves will be in my pocket to don as soon as I'm under the water...

 

[Aquamaniac]

A silly rule, sacrificing ones own safety

 

[Snoopy]

Education should be the one, not law.

Why touch the corals and stuff ? Curiousity, poor boyancy control, failure to thread waters along with the current.....

Well, I am always curious about things but always maintain a distance to observe. Otherwise, i will stop diving, coz it will be "just another big fish / coral / etc" and grew bored of it.

 

[Zept]

The majority of the people I dive with don't wear gloves. The few who do seem much more likely to get touchy feely with the underwater world.

Worst example was a guy who told me that he wore gloves because he liked to touch things. I watched him grab the edge of a large anemone and fold it over so he could look underneath. No way he'd have done the same thing with bare hands. In my head, a small voice was screaming, 'But do the things like to be touched?'

To be honest, I expect I'd be less cautious if I wore gloves... so I don't.

Zept

 

[Walter]

There's no need for such a requirement. I do wear gloves on wrecks, but not on simple reef dives. I don't touch anything with gloves I don't touch without them.

 

[junkyard_dawg]

I'm with Walter, I wear mine on wreck dives but not on reef dives. Either way I'm not going to touching anything.

 

[Natasha]

This is the only thing I don't like about diving in Bonaire. I like to wear gloves on all my dives. I really don't like that I can't wear them there. But, I do as they say, because I don't want to cause trouble.
However, I would be very happy if the rule was changed. I believe that is very unlikely though.

 

[jbd]

on all my dives. Mainly for thermal protection but even for reef diving I would wear them. I wouldn't intentionally touch anything but I would like the protection from things that sting that float in the water.