Gloves in warm water

[Rick Murchison]

I guess I should share some thoughts.
Diving without gloves in the Caribbean has never particularly bothered me. I don't think I've been stung on the hands there at all... so protection from free-floating stingies hasn't been an issue there. But... I really question the efficacy of the policy because from my observation, folks with less than wonderful buoyancy control frequently end up bashing the reef with fins or stirring up sand and silting corals with poor finning while trying to avoid that stinging touch with the hands - where a gloved hand may have let them do the "one finger pushoff." Yes, competence and education will prevent this - but with competence and education will gloves make any difference? I don't think so. Bottom line, I personally don't care one way or the other, but the idea that I don't have a choice wrankles a bit, and gloves around boats are generally a good idea.
Touching things isn't necessarily bad. It may be instructive to read Dee Scarr's "Touch the Sea" articles - Bonaire's the primary site for her stories.
http://www.touchthesea.com/
I don't wear gloves when cave diving. My reasons there have to do with line handling.
Rick

 

[Aquamaniac]

The gloves also help when you have poke a saltwater crocodile in the eye or up his nose.

 

[King Kong Matt]

Rick Murchison once bubbled...
Yes, competence and education will prevent this - but with competence and education will gloves make any difference? I don't think so.

Exactly my point. Gloves or sans gloves...a poorly educated/trainined diver is going to damage the precious ecology of the reef...for a well educated diver, the fact that they are or are not wearing gloves should have no bearing at all.

 

[CuriousMe]

There was this guy on a liveaboard with me....in order to protect the guilty, let's call him Diver Joe.

This guy was proud to announce to the world that he wore gloves so he could touch more stuff underwater. During meals and SI's he would expound to a horrified crowd what poor sea creatures he molested that dive. He would tell terrible stories about the things he "discovered" that day....including picking up a Scoripion fish with a combination of his camera and his gloved hands (he especially pointed out that he could do that cause he wears gloves and we should consider wearing them as well). We all tried to convey what a terrible idea it was to touch everything you see underwater...both for the marine life's sake and his....to no avail. He was convinced that we were just overly cautious. Honestly, before I met this guy....I wouldn't have believed he existed....but I saw the sad truth for a week.

This guys bouyancy wasn't bad, didn't kick things, just couldn't keep his hands off of them. So while I understand that there are well trained, thoughtful divers that wear gloves for other reasons...Diver Joe and his co-horts are out there, and as with most things...rules are made to protect the world from him and his friends that infringe upon everyone who is acting sensibly.

 

[Reeflover]

I also agree with Walter. The only time I wear gloves is on wreck dives. Too many times in the past I didn't wear gloves and got burns from fire coral, etc. on the mooring/hang line.

For shallow reef diving I don't see the need for gloves. With my buoyancy fine tuned, I fold my arms and enjoy the scenery the way it was meant to be enjoyed........without touching it!

You'd be surprised though, I live in Key Largo and go on charters alot and I see many people who feel the need to touch things.




Reeflover

 

[FredT]

Over the years I've seen several bad accidents that would have been mildy damaging had the diver wore gloves. 3 incidents that come to mind took over 50 stitches aggregate to close wounds on 4 hands. Two of those resulted in significant nerve damage as well.

Not wearing gloves to "protect the reef" makes as much sense as controlling deer populations near people with cougars and wolves. The logic leads to the decision that the inevitable loss of pets and a "few kids" to the cougars is a small price to pay to have all those cute deer and felines about.

Tree and reef huggers need to get a clue! It IS possible to handle critters without damaging them given a bit of knowledge and skill. The reef damage can be extensive if an area is as heavily over dove by divers with little skills and less of a clue. Prohibiting gloves will NOT limit this damage because those doing it don't normally KNOW they are doing damage, it just keeps the emergency rooms busy. Poor finning technique, bad buoyancy control, and hook and line (or explosive and/or bleach) fishermen to much more damage. It's just the divers that get the blame. Better skills training will go along way to letting the reefs recover, as will rotating dive sites and limiting fishing techniques around the reefs to spear fishing. A healthy reef often has hundreds of parrots and other reef grazers about. ALL damage the reef to feed, and as a by-product allow for new settelmant points for new coral colonies to start. There is a cycle of life on the reef, we just should live within it and understand it. The organic waste from the resort hotel will do as much or more damage to most island reefs as the divers staying there do in the water.

BTW if you dive in an area with currents and both fire coral and fixed mooring lines you had BETTER wear gloves or have excellent buoyancy and finning skills. It doesn't take long for the fixed line to get a good growtn of fire coral or other stinging hydroids on it. A light touch of the line will create severe burns on even the toughest palm, much less the back of the hand and fingertips. Fixed lines also collect hunting tendrils off of some of the very dangerous jellies found in many parts of the world. They will continue to sting for days after being removed from the jellyfish.

FT

 

[JDostal]

I usually wear gloves, mostly because I dive in really cold water. I usually don't have the option to go "Hrmm...water temp is 75, I don't need gloves". It's usually..."Hrm...water temp is 40 down there....can I get a second pair?".

Heh. But, when I do shallow dives in warm water, i usually forego the gloves and hood. I like the free feeling.

 

[Reeflover]

FredT,

I said in my post that I wear gloves for deep wrecks and mooring lines ( I know about the fire coral etc as I stated), but NOT for shallow reefs.

As far as knowing what you can touch and how, I disagree. I have been on many charters, liveaboards etc, and many times if divers see someone touching something, there will be copycats trying to do the same thing and end up damaging marine life. Unless you KNOW everyone your diving with is an expert in what and how to touch things, it's just best not to (what you do solo is your own business).

I have seen the decline in the health of reef systems over the past 10 years, from many different factors, but lets not add to it, I'd like to appreciate them for a long time to come.


Reeflover

 

[Newhampster]

Spectre once bubbled...


Why does my desire to wear gloves imply that my bouyancy control is poor, and/or I'm insensitive to the marine life?

The coral is going to die if I touch it, with or without gloves... what's the difference?

There are many _many_ reasons to wear gloves when diving. The only reason to not [aside of thermal comfort] is this quasi-insulting belief that I need to be exposed to be careful.

Wow!

Think it through.

The coral is going to die if I touch it, with or without gloves... what's the difference?

If touching means you could get a good fire coral burn, you're going to learn to stop touching the coral. Your words suggest you do need to be exposed to be careful.

Those of us diving into Crocodile pits or 40 degree (F) water or on wrecks or pulling ourselves up and down encrusted mooring lines need gloves, at least during those activities. When we're crusing coral reefs, we don't.

 

[buff]

It's nice to think that most divers wouldn't touch stuff and that education would suffice.

But, such is not the case. I believe that divers(new one's in particular) are much, much more prone to touch the reef and take things off the reef if they are wearing gloves. They are not the divers posting on this board. They are not as aware of their impact on marine life.

In addition, if there is a policy of not wearing gloves then divers ask "why can't I wear gloves". The question is then an opportunity to educate and diver's responses are "really, the coral is that sensitive" and "I didn't know that" Not having a policy of wearing gloves means the ecologicaly ignorant remain that way.

There are many times that glove use is important but recreational diving in the Caribbean is not one of them.