No more Magic Island diving due to paddleboards?

[ChimChim75]

I just saw something in the editorials of the Honolulu Advertiser. Anyone hear details on this? There is some proposal for a paddleboard only channel there with a ban on swimming/diving in the area divers currently use.

I have no details... Hope someone knows what is happening so we can start a letter campaign or go to the hearing if there is one.

 

[Black_3000psi]

this should be interesting to watch. givin the dive communitys lack of unity in the past i only have one thing to say "good luck with that"

 

[ChimChim75]

Considering how often it is used by the shops for OW certs, there should be interest. It makes a great after-work dive that I'd hate to lose.

 

[Black_3000psi]

well lets take a small look at what your up against. quick silver sponsors a Island to Island race every year. so you have to figure they have some form of organization going for them. they have the c4 Waterman/Honolua Surf Hawaii Paddleboard Championship every year. big event some say. rainbow sandles also sponsors big paddle boarding events. and paddle boarders have shown real intrest in the enviroment by doing their stand up clean up over on east oahu maunalua bay. malamaa maunalua is the organization that pulled that one off. that demonstrates their concern for the ocean that we say we care about but do nothing that makes a visable improvement. they dont care that what we do dont do no damage we are not solving any problems. so who do you think is going to win this battle if it comes down to a fight? hmmmmm?

heres a hint: yo dog you still taking bets on the magic island battle? yeah give me 50 on the the paddle boarders. i know its not funny but i could not resist. seriously though. when was the last time any dive op invited a news crew out to a clean up dive where the sole purpose of the dive was to clean up an area? how often do dive organizations offer assistance to the coast guard in searches? how often does aware groups speak at schools to educate kids on how important it is to keep the ocean clean? how often does the oahu volunteer search and rescue dive group assist in rescues? oh sorry we dont have anything like that. you see people here think stuff like that is stupid, a waste of time. but things like that give a positive image to diving an puts people on your side when you need it most. how many times has any EFR instructors gone down to magic island and offered free cpr classes ? nop we just go down there when we need a spot to do a class. we have zero positive points and lots of complaints about scuba divers doing classes in a public beach. not a pretty picture. how many people come here annually for those paddle events that last days and fill hotels? you think dukes canoe club is going to support them or us on the issue. there are at times more important things other than how much money you can make on your dive op but you people cant see that cause greed narrows the vision.

 

[cuddlefish]

when was the last time any dive op invited a news crew out to a clean up dive where the sole purpose of the dive was to clean up an area?

At least one dive shop in Kona has done a clean-up every year for the last 15 years or so. And you don't have to invite a news crew and brag about it for it to make a positive impact on the environment and the community. Though it would certainly let the public know that we care!

how often do dive organizations offer assistance to the coast guard in searches?

Same dive shop has done several assists with the coast guard. They have also helped quite a few local boaters/fishermen when their boats broke down, they needed a tow, or were in need of emergency assistance.

how often does aware groups speak at schools to educate kids on how important it is to keep the ocean clean?

Same shop speaks regularly at schools and offers free and deeply discounted scuba programs to scouts and for school functions.

there are at times more important things other than how much money you can make on your dive op but you people cant see that cause greed narrows the vision.

You are right that it's a shame more shops don't put a priority on the environment, marine education, and the community. There are a few shops out that there that have a commitment to be a positive part of the community. Not sure why the rest of them don't understand how important it is. Some haven't been around long enough to really be a part of the community yet. Some are under new ownership and just ride on the previous reputation of the original owners...but haven't actually done anything themselves. It can be very tiring watching this happen.

 

[JGibbs]

well lets take a small look at what your up against. quick silver sponsors a Island to Island race every year. so you have to figure they have some form of organization going for them. they have the c4 Waterman/Honolua Surf Hawaii Paddleboard Championship every year. big event some say. rainbow sandles also sponsors big paddle boarding events. and paddle boarders have shown real intrest in the enviroment by doing their stand up clean up over on east oahu maunalua bay. malamaa maunalua is the organization that pulled that one off. that demonstrates their concern for the ocean that we say we care about but do nothing that makes a visable improvement. they dont care that what we do dont do no damage we are not solving any problems. so who do you think is going to win this battle if it comes down to a fight? hmmmmm?

heres a hint: yo dog you still taking bets on the magic island battle? yeah give me 50 on the the paddle boarders. i know its not funny but i could not resist. seriously though. when was the last time any dive op invited a news crew out to a clean up dive where the sole purpose of the dive was to clean up an area? how often do dive organizations offer assistance to the coast guard in searches? how often does aware groups speak at schools to educate kids on how important it is to keep the ocean clean? how often does the oahu volunteer search and rescue dive group assist in rescues? oh sorry we dont have anything like that. you see people here think stuff like that is stupid, a waste of time. but things like that give a positive image to diving an puts people on your side when you need it most. how many times has any EFR instructors gone down to magic island and offered free cpr classes ? nop we just go down there when we need a spot to do a class. we have zero positive points and lots of complaints about scuba divers doing classes in a public beach. not a pretty picture. how many people come here annually for those paddle events that last days and fill hotels? you think dukes canoe club is going to support them or us on the issue. there are at times more important things other than how much money you can make on your dive op but you people cant see that cause greed narrows the vision.

How often do you do any of these things?

And where did your bitter attitude come from? How many dive shops have you been fired from?

 

[rgbmatt]

I'd be surprised if this passes. The fishing community will be all over it, since the area is popular for spearfishing.

 

[Black_3000psi]

I have never been fired from any dive op. but then i wont work with just anybody in the first place. and gibbs if you took a moment to look at past threads that i started you would know that i have atempted to bring more unity to the dive community at least twice which would be the start of doing some of the things i mentioned. so my bitterness comes from the total lack of true concern. it comes from trying to effect change in a community that has no desire to change for the good until something going to effect them personally. it comes from doing dives everyday and getting back on the boat and pulling patato chip bags, and lead sinkers, and afew houndred feet of mono of a ship wreck twice aweek. it comes from trying to get giant fish hooks and mono off of an eel before it chokes him to death or it starves to death. it comes from showing people sharks with the same hooks stuck in their jaws. it comes from spending half a dive trying to untangle mono out of reef and being over weighted cause i got six pounds of extra weight from all the lead sinkers i pick up off the ocean floor. im bitter cause i see other divers swim right past plastic bags litering the dive sites we use everyday like they didnt even see it. im bitter because i have watch people complain bout some valid issues but the moment i say ok lets do something about it, suddenly its not such a big problem after all. yeah im bitter but my question to you is why arent you bitter about the same things?

you know cuddlefish i started not to even address the comment you made but i dont want you to feel left out so here you go:

At least one dive shop in Kona has done a clean-up every year for the last 15 years or so. And you don't have to invite a news crew and brag about it for it to make a positive impact on the environment and the community. Though it would certainly let the public know that we care!

i guess if your someone who thinks like that naturally you would think everyone else would. im glad im not one of them. the point of the media is to draw attention to the problem. you can tell someone there is a problem but if they see it if you shove it under their nose then they cant say they didnt know.you use the media to help you get the message out.you use the media to help draw public support. the media is the tool by which you can spread awareness. keeping the problem in the publics view. so it is not so easily forgotten. I dont sugar coat whats on my mind and i say what i feel and dont really care if a person likes it or not .

gibbs common sense should tell you that one person doing the aboved mentioned things is not going to shine a positve light on the dive community. the dive community needs to improve its image if we are to affect change, and influence policy for the better. most of all im bitter because i care.

 

[DiveWestOahu]

the area in question is now where near any diving sites,,, it's inside the reef area where they all paddle now

 

[Black_3000psi]

um the area in question is where most dive ops do their student confined water dive. now i could be wrong but that would be like the third time this year and im just not having that. theres actually two areas over there one which is totally inclosed by reef. the other is too the right of it which is where the paddle boarders like to launch from.both areas are used by dive ops. although the enclosed pool( for lack of a better word) is actually more suited for dive op purposes but its a mean hike where as the beach to the right is more open but also more crowded. plenty of swimmers. if you use google earth you can see what im talking about. my true feelings on the issue are this.
1. the enclosed area is more suited and best fits the discription of a "confined area"
2. the area to the right is more populated with beach users. we need to be more understanding to the rights of all beach goers, if we use the confind area it is less likely to cause any conflicts with the paddle boarders.
3.I think it would be a smart jesture to limit the confined dives to the confined area. its more to the dive community to have a good relationship with the paddle board commmunity. there may come a time when we may want to request their support on an issue (s) and as i illustrated earlier they have a very strong community. this does not mean that we agree to the limiting of the area to pboarders only but it means we the dive community will work to make it easier for them by confining our use to the inclosed area.