How to Be More Aware Of Your Environment as a Diver - Diving Maluku

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Maluku Diving

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Location
Maluku, Ambon, Indonesia
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
Diving Maluku
How to Be More Aware Of Your Environment as a Diver

There are many signs underwater that show environmental damage. It is important for divers to become environmentally conscious because it gives them a great opportunity to start raising awareness of the various issues that they encounter.

Here are tips on how you can become an environmentally conscious diver:
  • Practice good buoyancy – When you position yourself well in the water, you reduce your risk of actually damaging the reef accidentally. It also reduces your risk of grabbing onto something to stabilize yourself. You must practice good buoyancy.
  • Operator selection – It is important for you to look for responsible operators when going diving. It is important to avoid divers who are not environmentally conscious and to increase the demand for eco-conscious and sustainable operators.
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  • No feeding fish – Fish feeding is a practice that is found mainly in Southeast Asia. It may look harmless but the ecological implications are serious. The fish usually end up relying on these handouts and therefore do not feed on the various natural food sources available to them.
  • Don’t wear gloves – this is a great measure because when you feel unprotected, the likelihood of touching the reef is reduced. If you will be holding onto a mooring line during your descent and are worried about hydroids, then simply use one glove and then put it away until you are ready to ascend.
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  • Keep an eye on your waste – Make sure that boat you are on has trashcans that have lids on them as well as ashtrays to avoid candy wrappers, plastic bottles, cigarette butts, masking tape and the like from flying off into the ocean.
  • Give that eco-friendly guide a tip – Since you usually give a tip anyway, this becomes a fantastic opportunity to reward and encourage eco-friendly behavior including dive briefs that are focused on the environment.
  • Refuse to eat reef fish – One of the major threats to our reefs is overfishing. Refuse to eat fish like the snapper, parrotfish and grouper which are not sustainable options.
  • Sustainable shopping – When you begin to purchase souvenirs, do not buy ocean products and shells. Those shells belong to mollusks who have a vital role in keeping reefs healthy.
  • Sunscreen – You do want to protect your skin, but putting on too much sunscreen inadvertently causes reef damage. This is because oxybenzone, the ingredient used in sunscreen, has been proven to kill coral. It also causes coral bleaching. There are other sunscreens that do not use this chemical as an ingredient. Try and get those.
 
Some good points. You will find those in disagreement about the gloves. Touching the reef because you have gloves on is no excuse--perhaps one's elevator doesn't go all the way up. Gloves are not only good for protection (hey, jellyfish?--we even have them up here), but for warmth unless in the tropics.
Molluscs- There are studies proving most aren't endangered. I don't buy from shell shops because that's not my interest. I know about "well if everyone took one....." etc. (everyone doesn't anyway--check out forums and dive mags. for any articles where divers even mention liking to see shells--it's all about fish, octopi and wrecks,etc.) Maybe diver collectors (not "souvenir hunters") account for what--.00001% of those taken (admit I don't know, but I know it's insignificant).
 
^ I agree, especially about the gloves. Ascending or descending a mooring or anchor line to a wreck in a current with none or only one glove....errr, no thanks. It only takes one rusty hook...
 
Ehmmm tha
Some good points. You will find those in disagreement about the gloves. Touching the reef because you have gloves on is no excuse--perhaps one's elevator doesn't go all the way up. Gloves are not only good for protection (hey, jellyfish?--we even have them up here), but for warmth unless in the tropics.
Molluscs- There are studies proving most aren't endangered. I don't buy from shell shops because that's not my interest. I know about "well if everyone took one....." etc. (everyone doesn't anyway--check out forums and dive mags. for any articles where divers even mention liking to see shells--it's all about fish, octopi and wrecks,etc.) Maybe diver collectors (not "souvenir hunters") account for what--.00001% of those taken (admit I don't know, but I know it's insignificant).
If you can control your hand... and didnt touch any marine live at the sea.. you can dissagree with that point...
 
^ I agree, especially about the gloves. Ascending or descending a mooring or anchor line to a wreck in a current with none or only one glove....errr, no thanks. It only takes one rusty hook...
if you haveagood reason for using the glove that good idea.. usually the new divers still want to know what is the feeling touch something..
 

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