NW Grateful Diver's New Buddy

[Uncle Pug]

Be my guest.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Gee ... I'm getting fried over on the "other" board for harassing a harbor seal ... :11:

... and here I thought the little guy was harassing me ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[puckvirus]

Bob dont worry about that one little guy who has proven himself to have anti sediment feelings twoard many of the members there including you. He'll probally come after me for eating paste and picking uP crabs to find out if they are male or female. His argument is super flawed and he cant seem to back it uP with any factual evidence, not to mention counter any of the arguments any one throws at him. So what does it all matter any way.

Well except for I honnestly think Junior thinks your his daddy

 

[gcbryan]

Bob dont worry about that one little guy who has proven himself to have anti sediment feelings twoard many of the members there including you. He'll probally come after me for eating paste and picking uP crabs to find out if they are male or female. His argument is super flawed and he cant seem to back it uP with any factual evidence, not to mention counter any of the arguments any one throws at him. So what does it all matter any way.

Well except for I honnestly think Junior thinks your his daddy

PuckVirus, what is anti sediment (sounds like a vaccum cleaner). Anyway his argument isn't flawed (it's simply that it's illegal to ride harbor seals) and he has backed it up with facts. You can disagree that it's not a big deal or that you don't care but he has made and backed up his point quite clearly in my opinion.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Ya know what ... I'm gonna agree with you. It seemed like a good idea at the time ... but in retrospect, this is a wild animal, and getting him used to human contact won't do him ... or us ... any good. And in thinking about it, I can see where it might cause harm. That's not something I want to do or condone.

Yes, it is illegal. I didn't realize it at the time ... but I do now. It won't happen again.

Hope that satisfies those who objected.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Uncle Pug]

Well... I was really tempted to reach out and touch Junior... but now that it is obvious that that is not only illegal but probably harmful I won't be riding any seals.

I can still pet the octos though.

 

[Xarifa]

Ya know what ... I'm gonna agree with you. It seemed like a good idea at the time ... but in retrospect, this is a wild animal, and getting him used to human contact won't do him ... or us ... any good. And in thinking about it, I can see where it might cause harm. That's not something I want to do or condone.

Yes, it is illegal. I didn't realize it at the time ... but I do now. It won't happen again.

Hope that satisfies those who objected.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

But it's OK for junior to scare the Ph out of us...it's only fair that he mind his manners too...We just want to play in the water with a dive buddy like all the other wild animals! :moose:

 

[Uncle Pug]

He is only going to get bigger... and he doesn't have any manners to mind.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

But it's OK for junior to scare the Ph out of us...it's only fair that he mind his manners too...We just want to play in the water with a dive buddy like all the other wild animals! :moose:

What it boils down to Xarifa is that the Marine Mammal Protection Act says you are not to harass the animals. And they provide a definition of harassment. One of the clauses in there states that harassment is any act that can change the behavior of the animal. That's the legal side ... and although subject to some interpretation, I think (after taking the time to think aboout it) that what I did would be interpreted as falling into the harassment category.

On first glance, playing with Junior as I did wouldn't appear to be harmful ... I was gentle with him, and he seemed to enjoy the interaction. But after it got brought up, I thought about what the other folks were saying (I wish they would've been a bit less confrontational about it but that's another issue) and could see their point. Junior will grow too accustomed to this interaction, and it could lead to interactions that are less fun for other divers.

Some of the arguments I don't buy entirely. Junior's a kid, and he's playful just like any other kid. As he grows older (and larger), he'll lose some of that enthusiasm. I suspect that in a year he'll behave more like his mom, and be more of a messy annoyance in terms of using dive lights for dinner than he will be interested in these interactions. I've experienced several seal encounters, here in Puget Sound and in various parts of British Columbia, and it's always the pups who want to play with divers. I think their behavior does mirror that of puppies and little children, who grow more reticent as they mature. Divers have been interacting with seals for as long as there have been divers ... and I don't see that changing anytime soon. It's just too tempting. And over the years all those pups have grown up to become less interested in divers except purely as a source of food. If you want an example, head up to Snake Island (Nanaimo) ... those seals see hundreds, if not thousands, of divers a year. The pups will play with you ... the adults couldn't care less whether you are there or not.

That said, I don't want to be doing or condoning something that may be potentially harmful either to the seal or to other divers ... for that reason, I have to admit that my interaction with the animal was a mistake. It's not something I want to repeat, or encourage other divers to do. As a dive professional I have a duty to the community to behave responsibly. This time, even though at the time I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, I have to admit what I did was not a responsible thing to do.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[SeanQ]

The squeeze was on as Junior proceeded to go between Bob's belly and the bottom.

Does that constitute an overhead enviroment? Junior should know better not to do that without proper training. Then again, he is a seal so I guess that counts.


I thought you could use a laugh. Perhaps I guessed wrong?