No Gloves allowed? Is that standard

[HammerNoMore]

Otherwisae, just let him fail on his own. Failure is the best teacher.

Not when it kills reefs in the process...

 

[MikeFerrara]

It's all a bunch of BS.

If they want to protect the reef they need to take peoples fins away and make em go barefoot.

There are reasons for wearing gloves other than protecting your hands from coral...like...the fact that being in the water for a long time makes your skin softer and more easily damaged by anything you touch. I don't usually wear gloves in warm water but some people have softer hands than I do.

I guess I'll decide how to equip myself for a dive and I'm not diving anyplace without a knife.

 

[SDAnderson]

It's all a bunch of BS.

If they want to protect the reef they need to take peoples fins away and make em go barefoot.

There are reasons for wearing gloves other than protecting your hands from coral...like...the fact that being in the water for a long time makes your skin softer and more easily damaged by anything you touch. I don't usually wear gloves in warm water but some people have softer hands than I do.

I guess I'll decide how to equip myself for a dive and I'm not diving anyplace without a knife.

Mike, I agree that banning gloves is a less than ideal solution and can create some new problems, but this issue with reef crunching is a real world situation and what other realistic options are available? Is "no gloves" a stupid rule? Maybe, but it's less stupid than the alternative of letting unskilled and uncaring divers continue to destroy the reefs.

Divers without skills should get the training and develop their skills, certainly, but as we both know, all too often they don't. Sometimes kickstarting the learning process requires a kickstart to the seat of the pants. Or a brush with a bristle worm or a rusty fishhook, as the case might be. If nothing else, hopefully rules like this will help raise everyone's awareness of the problem and foster a "no touch" attitude, because a change in attitude is where any solution has to start.

I'm not familiar with anyplace that bans knives, but like you, I'm going to be responsible for selecting my own gear and I always have gloves, a knife and some EMT shears with me. The water in Bonaire is warm enough and calm enough that gloves can stay in pockets, along with hands, if need be.

 

[HammerNoMore]

I'm not familiar with anyplace that bans knives, but like you, I'm going to be responsible for selecting my own gear and I always have gloves, a knife and some EMT shears with me. The water in Bonaire is warm enough and calm enough that gloves can stay in pockets, along with hands, if need be.

Cozumel, but it's rarely enforced. Bonne Terre Mine and it is enforced. It's been quite a while since I carried a regular knife. My z-knife gives me all the safety I'm looking for an nonone has ever hasled me for carrying that.

 

[DennisS]

Good Morning SB' Veiwers,



My SO is very concerned about this as he is a relitivly new diver (tends to scull a bit), and has not dove in salt water is concerned that say should he need to reach out for stability or perhaps just by chance, they he may inadvertinly touch something that may bite/sting him. :11:

Is this policy in place for a specific reason? Is this the norm?
Any thoughts?

Touching kills the coral, check out the pictures at the bottom of the link 10 days after touching

http://www.sei.org/touch.html

Not wearing gloves will reduce divers grabbing on to coral but an education of the damage that they can cause is probably a better way to prevent it.

 

[SDAnderson]

Cozumel, but it's rarely enforced. Bonne Terre Mine and it is enforced. It's been quite a while since I carried a regular knife. My z-knife gives me all the safety I'm looking for an nonone has ever hasled me for carrying that.

I forgot about Bonne Terre and I did give my knife up when I was there - no entanglement issues there and I liked the buddy I was there with.

 

[starfish365]

You've got lots of issues in this relationship other than gloves.

Good luck - its evident you're going to need it !!!

I second that notion - An ego that large has no place underwater - hopefully he'll come to his senses before he endangers himself or you.

 

[Scubakevdm]

I want to be able to give input, but how do you do this when your SO does not want to take advise from you :475:

Thought/comments welcome please

Sounds like a simple midnight lopping off of arms with a meat cleaver may be the way to go in this case. Understand that he may be upset with you at first, but will thank you for it later. I'm not sure if arm-lopping is DIR or not, but it certainly helps with streamlining.

 

[Mako Mark]

I'm not familiar with anyplace that bans knives,

Cancun!

No gloves,
No knoves,
No suncream.

Damn good idea in my book.

sea urchins and fire coral are great teachers on how not to touch marine life.

if you are really worried, keep a Z knife in your pocket, but there is no fishing in the national parks, so there is no line or nets either! The first time you see a 120 year old 1.2 meter wide tridachnia giant clam killed by a punter with a dive knife you will agree with me.

Suncream, I thought "gimme a break" untill I saw the oil slick 200 meters (yards) downstream from a group of 15 snorklers. It looked like a boat had pumped their bilge.

 

[archman]

It was particularly fun back in the early '80's to see the coral heads "adorned" with the whole gloveprint thing. Whenever I see those old photos it reminds me of fingerpainting... guess it did to those folks too.

Scratching your name on the coral used to be fairly common too in the Caribbean. I think there's even a photo example in one of my older field guides.