Lessons to be learned-Death in Palau

[SassyScubaGal]

Dennis,
Speaking of not reading posts.

Even if the little spot that you hook in at on Blue Corner is dead, that is just you. You keep talking and thinking about you. I am talking about dive sites being destroyed by teams of people hooking in day in and day out. It is not all dead. Just dying thanks to scuba divers. AND, there are many other sites very, very much alive where people hook in.

Do you really not know what I have in mind for saving the reefs in Palau?

1. No reef hooks (or any other behavior that guarantees frequent diver to coral contact).
2. No diving sites that cannot be visited without causing significant damage.

I would be upset about other environmental damage causes too. It just so happens that I recently saw first hand the damage being done in Palau from scuba divers. This website is the one I reviewed before going and I feel the information here on Palau was partial at best - so I thought I would offer my perspective (Sorry you don't like it).

Clearly you will continue to hook in. Maybe some others won't and the reef can ultimately survive through reduced impact. Your argument that other things are worse so let us just damage the reef a little so we can learn about the ocean is extraordinarily simple. Dennis, if you think about this you will realize the reefs should come first.

Agree 100% Ilikeair! I have seen it too & I like your proposed "solutions."

I can't belive that we are the only ones out there in support of "no reef hooks"... Or is everyone else just being shy & afraid to get inadvertently barbequed?

 

[SassyScubaGal]

Why would you want to hook into a ledge in a 4 knot current? At best, you better be experienced enough to stay off the reef. Would you rather have them grab the reef with both hands? Again, where did I say that you can hook in anywhere you like?

The unfortunate nurse was out of control on a dive that was way over her head. This has been pointed out many times here.

Good question... I have seen it done! Many divers just fly on by & hook wherever they can... unfortunately...

(Btw, how do quote just a portion of the post you are replying to-- like your qeustion above-- so that the whole thing doesn't show up?)

 

[dherbman]

Agree 100% Ilikeair! I have seen it too & I like your proposed "solutions."

I can't belive that we are the only ones out there in support of "no reef hooks"... Or is everyone else just being shy & afraid to get inadvertently barbequed?

"No reef hooks"? What is your direct experience with hooking?

 

[Diver Dennis]

Well I tell you what. Fill out your profile so we can see who you are. I have asked you many times to do this, both by PM and on the board. At this point you have no credibility with me.

You posted pretty much the same thing on four different threads here, starting off with bashing the Aggressor. When I asked you if you had even complained to them, you had not and tonight I PMed you all the information you need to do so. You have not posted about anything but Palau here on SB and it makes me think you have some type of agenda.

You are very focused on reef hooks as the cause of so much damage to reefs in Palau. I have presented other options and you keep coming back to that.
Sassy came to your aid tonight, also a brand new member and I just posted her own words about dynamite fishing and netting. Those seem to be far bigger issues in my view.

As I posted many times, there will be reef damage where ever there are divers. Your solution is to shut down dives that cannot be visited without reef damage. This would mean shutting down pretty much all dive sites.

The only place I use a reef hook has been Palau. In other places, people usually hold onto the reef with one or two hands in current. More damaging in my opinion. Divers break off coral when they bump into the reef. Have you seen this in your travels? I read that you had done 9 liveaboards, so on those other trips you did not see any reef damage, or divers touching coral or any anti-environmental actions? If you have not done a lot of diving, you should do some reading to get a better perspective about what it is like in the real world.

Fill out your profile and give yourself some credibility. Otherwise someone might mistake you for having an ulterior motive.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Hi Dennis. Sassy here again. The issue I have is not with hooking into "dead coral"... It's giving people who have never used reef hooks before, a reef hook, and then sending them off into the current to fend for themselves sans thorough instruction. I have been on many live-aboards & have seen it with my own eyes. And mandatory reef hook diving only perpetuates the problem.

I don't think anyone meant to accuse you of intentionally killing coral & if my posts came off that way, please accept my apologies. Clearly, you love the ocean as we do. It's just that while you may be tenacious about hooking on to what is FOR SURE dead coral, other divers are not. As you know, it takes a lot of skill to spot & hook on to dead coral in a fierce current... Most of the time what I have seen is divers wisking over the reef & just hooking on wherever they can helter-skelter... A lot like to pretend the coral that they are hooking on to is "dead" (and I am not talking about you so please don't get offended) but as a participating member of Project AWARE, REEF Check, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, and the Marine Mammal Society (not that this has anything to do with reefs), I can tell you firsthand, it is not. I have surveyed the damage & there is a reason reef hooks are banned in some parts of the world.

I agree with you that any damage is bad & actually grabbing the reef is worse... That's why I think our example should be consistent... No hooks, no grabbing, good buoyancy, streamlined, proper kicks, etc.

(Whew... And believe it or not, I am not even a "tree hugger"... Although Catherine's comment about Mexico cracked me up! )

I do agree with you here. You can see I said that I only use a reef hook in Palau. Obviously divers SHOULD be trained in their use but as we all can see from the first post, they are not. Divers should also have enough buoyancy skills to stay off the reef.

My point is that to just focus on a reef hook is very short sighted.

Oh, Catherine was not kidding about Mexico, I live there for part of the year and that was a true statement.

 

[SassyScubaGal]

"No reef hooks"? What is your direct experience with hooking?

Palau, Maldives, & the Galapagos. Was req'd in Palau & Galapagos if you want to sit above the reef to watch the show... Not into holding onto the reef either... 100% agree with Dennis on how much damage this causes...I prefer to drift, shoot a sausage/bag during the ss, then ascend. Won't use the hook & if it's required, like Ilikeair, I will pass on the dive and/or trip.

 

[SassyScubaGal]

I do agree with you here. You can see I said that I only use a reef hook in Palau. Obviously divers SHOULD be trained in their use but as we all can see from the first post, they are not. Divers should also have enough buoyancy skills to stay off the reef.

My point is that to just focus on a reef hook is very short sighted.

Oh, Catherine was not kidding about Mexico, I live there for part of the year and that was a true statement.

Agreed... Back to my earlier post about live-aboards not requiring a certain level of expertise for more advanced types of diving.. There was a beginner with all of 4 dives under her belt trying to dive in crazy currents last year in the Maldives... She tried the hook at the DMs request & it was a total debaucle. (Of course, even drifting in that kind of current with only 4 dives completed is going to be a debaucle-- I saw several fan corals sheer right off as her body collided with them as she raced by.) I felt really bad for the poor girl as she was, obviously, in over her head. I guess the most important thing is to know your skill level & keep learning... This is probably one of the best things we can do to protect our reefs!

 

[Diver Dennis]

I have seen this a lot. Poor diving skills, especially in currents are as dangerous for the reefs as for the divers It also happens in calm shallow water as well and to try to protect the reefs in those situations you almost need a "bunny dive" site to cater to divers that can't pass a check out dive.

 

[SassyScubaGal]

I have seen this a lot. Poor diving skills, especially in currents are as dangerous for the reefs as for the divers It also happens in calm shallow water as well and to try to protect the reefs in those situations you almost need a "bunny dive" site to cater to divers that can't pass a check out dive.

That's a great idea... The "bunny dive site" just like the bunny hill on the slopes... I get it & like it!

 

[shugar]

That's a great idea... The "bunny dive site" just like the bunny hill on the slopes... I get it & like it!

hey we got that! it's called "the pool"

Jag