Handling sea critters in Hawaii

[gangrel441]

It's so very predictable isn't it? Someone asks "can I touch the marine life?" And right away everyone with an opinion east or west of the date line will stand to with their toes perfectly aligned with their respective political lines. I'm so bored with it.

Why not just admit that every fish you touch does not automatically drop dead of human contagion within ten minutes, and also acknowledge that most marine animals prefer to be left alone? You as a responsible diver choose where to draw the line.

Right you are....except that this thread was started about a DM wrestling an octo out of a hole and manhandling it for the entertainment of divers. Once you start triggering last-resort defenses in animals, such as inking in octos or puffing in puffers, you ARE doing harm to the animal. This has absolutely nothing to do with politics for me. Very little in my life does.