When you see obviously inappropriate, damaging behavior underwater, I guess the best thing to do is to talk to the divemaster or the dive op manager about it privately and hope he/she/they address it with the party(ies) involved. They are the individuals in authority and we are not the scuba police; but it is difficult when you witness someone harming the reef or tormenting an animal underwater, you want to intervene and make it stop immediately.
If I was walking down a street and saw someone viciously beating a dog, I would probably shout "Hey stop that right now or I'll call the police!" But maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and call the police and hope that they come quickly and actually do something about it. But it would be difficult to walk away and listen to the dog screaming - and hard to know which is the smartest (or safest) thing to do.
I would probably shout AND call the police, and keep shouting - even though I am not in authority and I am not the animal police, but that's just me. Are things any different underwater? You can't shout underwater so that is why you might react by touching someone, without really meaning to be aggressive (to stop his/her aggressive behavior toward the reef and animals.)
I well remember a time when a divemaster took the initiative to correct me underwater about my damaging behavior. I felt very bad about it but I didn't like being chastised, it was embarrassing and uncomfortable. Yet I am grateful that he was brave enough to call me out and work with me to change the behavior. He was the person in authority so it was clearly his job - but the divemaster isn't always around - or may not be willing to intervene.
It was during our first trip to Cozumel. We were newbie divers and I still sometimes struggled with buoyancy issues, especially during conditions of strong current. I didn't even realize it but, while blundering around down there, I had inadvertently hit a coral head with my tank and knocked off a piece of coral a few inches long. The divemaster was very unhappy with me. He took my arm and brought me back to the scene of the crime. He showed me the broken coral and the damaged spot where it had been and pointed to my tank. He kept repeating the signals until he was certain that I had gotten the message, even though no words spoken.
He talked to me about it later on the boat, again stressing the seriousness of my careless actions; but he also offered to help me with buoyancy - and he did. I became a better, more skilled, and more careful diver because of him. He was just a very young, local Mexican divemaster working for the dive operation at a big resort. I was the paying customer and he could have lost his tip and maybe even jeopardized his job - if I had gotten angry and decided to make trouble - but it was more important to him to protect the reefs that he loved, and he taught me an important lesson.
The young divemaster was Martin Perera and we were happy to come back and dive with him again and again. He later founded the popular Dive with Martin scuba op in Cozumel. The dive op is still there but sadly Martin is gone; he died of pneumonia in 2006. I remember him as friendly, funny, skilled, and hard-working. Mostly I remember how passionately he felt about protecting the underwater world and how he instilled that passion and protectiveness in me.
So again, what's the best thing to do when you see inappropriate behavior underwater? Probably speak privately to the divemaster later, like I said, but it is not always a clear-cut, easy situation; especially when you have been taught the right way to behave by someone like Martin.
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If I was walking down a street and saw someone viciously beating a dog, I would probably shout "Hey stop that right now or I'll call the police!" But maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and call the police and hope that they come quickly and actually do something about it. But it would be difficult to walk away and listen to the dog screaming - and hard to know which is the smartest (or safest) thing to do.
I would probably shout AND call the police, and keep shouting - even though I am not in authority and I am not the animal police, but that's just me. Are things any different underwater? You can't shout underwater so that is why you might react by touching someone, without really meaning to be aggressive (to stop his/her aggressive behavior toward the reef and animals.)
I well remember a time when a divemaster took the initiative to correct me underwater about my damaging behavior. I felt very bad about it but I didn't like being chastised, it was embarrassing and uncomfortable. Yet I am grateful that he was brave enough to call me out and work with me to change the behavior. He was the person in authority so it was clearly his job - but the divemaster isn't always around - or may not be willing to intervene.
It was during our first trip to Cozumel. We were newbie divers and I still sometimes struggled with buoyancy issues, especially during conditions of strong current. I didn't even realize it but, while blundering around down there, I had inadvertently hit a coral head with my tank and knocked off a piece of coral a few inches long. The divemaster was very unhappy with me. He took my arm and brought me back to the scene of the crime. He showed me the broken coral and the damaged spot where it had been and pointed to my tank. He kept repeating the signals until he was certain that I had gotten the message, even though no words spoken.
He talked to me about it later on the boat, again stressing the seriousness of my careless actions; but he also offered to help me with buoyancy - and he did. I became a better, more skilled, and more careful diver because of him. He was just a very young, local Mexican divemaster working for the dive operation at a big resort. I was the paying customer and he could have lost his tip and maybe even jeopardized his job - if I had gotten angry and decided to make trouble - but it was more important to him to protect the reefs that he loved, and he taught me an important lesson.
The young divemaster was Martin Perera and we were happy to come back and dive with him again and again. He later founded the popular Dive with Martin scuba op in Cozumel. The dive op is still there but sadly Martin is gone; he died of pneumonia in 2006. I remember him as friendly, funny, skilled, and hard-working. Mostly I remember how passionately he felt about protecting the underwater world and how he instilled that passion and protectiveness in me.
So again, what's the best thing to do when you see inappropriate behavior underwater? Probably speak privately to the divemaster later, like I said, but it is not always a clear-cut, easy situation; especially when you have been taught the right way to behave by someone like Martin.
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| In memory of: |
| Martin Aguilar Perera |
| October 1966 - November 2006 |
| My life was the sea, the flora and the fauna from these depths, I will take care |
| of them and I will defend them along with you wherever I am. |
| Thanks to continue diving with Martin. |
| Martin Lives. |
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