Is diving in the Caribbean dying?

[TMHeimer]

The ads in dive magazines and on SB aren't dying, that's for sure. I've only dived down there once, and it was pretty good, but I've no past to compare it to. In the US I have seen only 1 shop close, while all others I frequent seem to thrive (well, I don't count that one in the northeast where word of mouth was it closed due to drug trafficking).

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Last summer, a fisherman off of Huntington Beach in SoCal caught a wahoo. None had been caught north of Cabo San Lucas since the thirties.

In British Columbia, fisherman are starting to see Mola mola, the giant ocean sunfish.

At the mouth of the Copper River, in Alaska, fishermen are catching skipjack tuna.

Thousands and thousands of California sea lions have appeared in estuaries in Oregon and Washington, while huge numbers of abandoned pups starve to death on beaches around Monterey and San Francisco.

Things are changing, for sure.

When the CA spiny lobsters move up to Sonoma County that would be kinda cool, then I won't have to go to Socal to get bugs.
But at the same time I hate to think of all the other changes that would take place at that point.
BTW, a buddy of mine did see the antennas of a lobster in a crevice on the rocky wall at Monastery several years ago during the last severe El Nino.

 

[lmorin]

Been going to Bonaire multiple times per year for 10 yrs. There are all sorts of changes--some positive, some negative. I would say that, on the average, there has been no noticeable change in the total number of fish. Also, there are huge changes from trip to trip with regard to what we see. For example, last summer we saw many species of cardinalfish; in April of this year, we saw very few. In January, we saw 2-3 (up to 10-12) glasseye snappers per dive, whereas we hardly ever saw this species previously. Some trips we see huge bait balls with 1000's of fish, but most trips we see none. In January, 2014, there were many (relatively speaking) mantas in Bonaire waters, but they have been rare to non-existent this year and in most prior years. The bottom line is that variability is large and only a systemic counting study can answer the OP's question. Such data probably exist in the hands of REEF.org.

 

[Rhone Man]

Things are changing, for sure.

Natural history is a process of continuous change. On average throughout history an average of three species become extinct per day. And that has been the case long before man started walking upright.

The human race has something of a tendency to blame itself for everything. There is no doubt that humanity has accelerated various changes, and much of the impact has been negative. But the idea that if all humans disappear that nature would somehow fall into some kind of fragile perfect balance is - and always has been - pure fallacy.

 

[mikeb21072]

I have yet to get to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, but I started diving in Grand Cayman about 7 years ago. We will be making our fifth trip back to GC in a couple of months, but I have found the reefs and fish populations to be less than I imagined. The first time we went, a hurricane had recently caused extensive damage to the reefs and the island. I have heard that excuse by the dive operators every time we have been back, even though a major hurricane has not hit the island in years to my recollection.
I think that the patch work reefs in the Keys, and especially around Key Largo are in better condition than the Cayman's. Part of this is due to the protected area of John Pennekamp park being established in the 60's, but even the unprotected areas there are large and diverse fish populations on the reef. Sometimes you even have to push your way through a school of snappers. I have noticed the reefs appeared to be suffering from bleaching, but that could have been a seasonal issue. Just my experience recently, but I am sure others could comment on how they looked 20 years ago as to now, probably the same story that they are suffering.
I am not a "greeenie" but I do think overfishing, pollution, and temperature increase has really taken a toll on most of the reefs that were once pristine. I am just happy I have found reefs that appear healthy and have the opportunity to dive them often.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My one local hole has seen a sharp decline in larger fish. But that's due to the Amish. They are like locusts on fishing spots. They don't buy licenses, no respect for limits, and could care less if they take every fish out of a lake. They'll just move on to the next one and decimate it.

 

[buck3647]

!The oceans are dying! Just returned from Bonaire that I rated 3 years ago as a 4 Star dive location now down to 2 barely. Now divers carry magnifying glasses so as to see sea life. Look at what fish you see and what they are eating, most are eating the reef! The fish that kept the reef eating fish in check have been killed off now most islands have an abundance of Parrot, Wrasse, Grouper, all nibbling away at the reef. Add the lion fish and it all becomes a disaster. Then the State of Florida throws 700,000 tires into the ocean, LUDICROUS!

 

[descent]

Natural history is a process of continuous change. On average throughout history an average of three species become extinct per day. ...

Very well said.

But the averages are made of periods of relative stability punctuated by occasional massive die-offs. We have a fossil record to make guesses from exactly because there have been long episodes of predictable weather in areas with enough resources for some plant or animal to colonize and inhabit.

It is strange, interesting, and a little bit frightening to think that we may be arriving at some major delineation.

 

[lmorin]

!The oceans are dying! Just returned from Bonaire that I rated 3 years ago as a 4 Star dive location now down to 2 barely. Now divers carry magnifying glasses so as to see sea life. Look at what fish you see and what they are eating, most are eating the reef! The fish that kept the reef eating fish in check have been killed off now most islands have an abundance of Parrot, Wrasse, Grouper, all nibbling away at the reef. Add the lion fish and it all becomes a disaster. Then the State of Florida throws 700,000 tires into the ocean, LUDICROUS!

Do you know what you are talking about? You have thrown way too many disparate issues together and come to a conclusion, possibly correct, but built upon erroneous fact and logic. Groupers do not "nibble away at the reef" on Bonaire. They are predators and the big issue is that perhaps there are not enough of them to maintain the health of the reef ecosystem. Likewise, wrasses eat mostly plankton, worms, small mollusks and small crustaceans. They do not "nibble away at the reef." Tires in the ocean are not good, nor are overloads of lionfish. But on Bonaire, tires are minimal as are lionfish (at least on the leeward side) thanks to the great efforts of local divers who spear them. If you had mentioned the massive loss of elkhorn and staghorn corals on Bonaire and throughout the entire Caribbean, possibly the greatest ecological disaster of our time and likely caused by bacteria from human waste, perhaps you could have won me over. In the meantime, Bonaire remains a 4 star dive destination, IMHO.

 

[vincent54]

I have been diving Brac for years. If anything, the Grouper and Shark numbers are increasing and the coral seems to be on the rebound. Even seeing new patches of staghorn. Fish and corals are sparse compared to Fl, Pacific, and some other areas.. There are no big nutrient currents that go by Cayman. I think you'll find the large fish and mammal counts where these currents exist. Enjoy it for what it is. Cheers