<rant>Chuck has a point worth noting. Aside from the fact that most ecological preserves have cautions against handling marine life, and all dive training agencies whose policy I know say don't do it, people still handle marine life. You may think it's no problem, and you aren'[t hurting anything, but maybe you don't know what you're doing. Moreover, you are diving with a buddy or buddies. How do they feel about handling marine life? How do they feel about you doing it?
This may seem like something not worth even considering, but I have to say that every time a dive buddy of mine has picked up a crab or some other critter, it has annoyed me. The only time I thought it was OK was when a buddy got a horn shark unstuck from between two rocks. I would prefer that people just leave marine life alone, and I would really prefer that my dive buddies not hold some squirming thing up in front of my mask. I can see things just as well when they're going about their regular routines.
Do what you will, and all. But maybe you don't really need to pick up the next crab you see.
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(this could take a while)
