Disclaimer: Again, this is just my personal take on this matter. You may dispute or agree with me but, please, avoid flaming people. Voice out your own opinion and be done with it. Don't be rude. Just enjoy the discussion. Cheers!
This topic came from a thread I started concerning the reasons why Philippine dive sites are not too popular in North America. A couple of folks have submitted their responses they're off-track but quite interesting nevertheless. Here I quote:
Ben_ca:
There's only a small number of the operations that have internet presences... the local operators that do often only have the simplest of pages. Now does that mean that they aren't good? No it sometimes means that they are operating fine and doing well with just word of mouth and they want to stay that way.
When I'm off on a diving excursion I don't want a ton of people at the resort I'm staying. A few fellow divers, some peace and quiet and no overloaded boats would be fine.
You can keep the bus loads of drunk and loud tourists and cattle boats.
Mr. Blues:
Hmmm....so if you charge more per dive you're going to attract more divers? The reason I dive in Asia/Indo/Phils/ is because the diving is excellent and affordable and is worth the extra money spent on airfare and I can also stay longer. I don't dive the Carribean anymore because each time I ended up asking "where's all the fish???", and the dives were more costly. I prefer "sleeper" locations and enjoy "the road less traveled." That's why I keep coming back to dive Philippines - this year was my fourth time. Be careful what you wish for. You may just get what you want plus all the trappings that goes with it. Club Med type operations, cattle boats, spoiled high rollers, not to mention reef damage from an increased numbers of divers, and on & on. If you don't believe me just ask some of the elders who can remember when Cozumel only had about a dozen dive shops, or just dive Jamaica and you'll end up asking "where's all the fish?"
Now, the questions is: Which is the lesser evil? Cattle boats and increased diving activity or dynamite or illegal fishing?
If we stunt the growth of the local dive industry to make some people happy by keeping the Philippines their own best kept secret, local fishermen will be forced to resort to drastic means to make ends meet. Because of your selfish reasons, fishermen will be forced to resort to illegal fishing, cyanide fishing, and dynamite fishing to earn a living. Now, this can't be good! Good for you, maybe or maybe not. Because if more reefs are damaged by over-fishing, cyanide poison, and dynamite then your best kept little secret is no longer going to be attractive. You won't care about visiting and diving around the Philippines anymore. The fishermen on the other hand will just go on doing their thing until nothing is left. No more reef.
On the other hand, if the dive industry flourishes and grows up, we can establish several nature park reserves to protect the valuable reefs and wildlife. Help the locals by getting them into the dive industry by being captains and dive masters instead of resorting to illegal fishing activities to make a living. Yes, with progress, prices will go up but part of this will go towards reef protection, education, and promoting tourism. With progress, visitors and locals alike will be educated about the value of keeping the reefs intact and healthy. They now have a very good reason to protect it. Now, this does not mean that all dive businesses will become cattle boats. Like Cozumel, there will still be the small outfits who will specialize on small groups. I say (as a former business-owner myslef, if you can't beat your competition then specialize. Personally, when I go diving, I hate cattle boats so I seek out the small guys for a more personalized service. Small groups also make me get better acquainted with everyone as I tend to watch over members of the group when we are underwater. This is a force of habit as I always want to be a very good buddy. If you want a less crowded atmosphere, visit the dive site during the off-peak season. Not only do you get the best airfare and accomodation rates, you will have your peace and quiet. This is what I do when I fly off and go diving especially in Cozumel. Now, in the case of the Philippines and its 7,100 islands, there are a lot of dive sites that are off-the beaten path and not yet popular or have yet to be discovered. There will always be dive sites that will be less visited compared to others. So, in the end, in the midst of progress and all the cattle boat operations, you will have your cake and eat it too.
So after hearing my thoughts, which one do you prefer? Reef destruction to due an increased number of divers or illegal and brutal ways of fishing. You decide!
Phil (bisugo767)
This topic came from a thread I started concerning the reasons why Philippine dive sites are not too popular in North America. A couple of folks have submitted their responses they're off-track but quite interesting nevertheless. Here I quote:
Ben_ca:
There's only a small number of the operations that have internet presences... the local operators that do often only have the simplest of pages. Now does that mean that they aren't good? No it sometimes means that they are operating fine and doing well with just word of mouth and they want to stay that way.
When I'm off on a diving excursion I don't want a ton of people at the resort I'm staying. A few fellow divers, some peace and quiet and no overloaded boats would be fine.
You can keep the bus loads of drunk and loud tourists and cattle boats.
Mr. Blues:
Hmmm....so if you charge more per dive you're going to attract more divers? The reason I dive in Asia/Indo/Phils/ is because the diving is excellent and affordable and is worth the extra money spent on airfare and I can also stay longer. I don't dive the Carribean anymore because each time I ended up asking "where's all the fish???", and the dives were more costly. I prefer "sleeper" locations and enjoy "the road less traveled." That's why I keep coming back to dive Philippines - this year was my fourth time. Be careful what you wish for. You may just get what you want plus all the trappings that goes with it. Club Med type operations, cattle boats, spoiled high rollers, not to mention reef damage from an increased numbers of divers, and on & on. If you don't believe me just ask some of the elders who can remember when Cozumel only had about a dozen dive shops, or just dive Jamaica and you'll end up asking "where's all the fish?"
Now, the questions is: Which is the lesser evil? Cattle boats and increased diving activity or dynamite or illegal fishing?
If we stunt the growth of the local dive industry to make some people happy by keeping the Philippines their own best kept secret, local fishermen will be forced to resort to drastic means to make ends meet. Because of your selfish reasons, fishermen will be forced to resort to illegal fishing, cyanide fishing, and dynamite fishing to earn a living. Now, this can't be good! Good for you, maybe or maybe not. Because if more reefs are damaged by over-fishing, cyanide poison, and dynamite then your best kept little secret is no longer going to be attractive. You won't care about visiting and diving around the Philippines anymore. The fishermen on the other hand will just go on doing their thing until nothing is left. No more reef.
On the other hand, if the dive industry flourishes and grows up, we can establish several nature park reserves to protect the valuable reefs and wildlife. Help the locals by getting them into the dive industry by being captains and dive masters instead of resorting to illegal fishing activities to make a living. Yes, with progress, prices will go up but part of this will go towards reef protection, education, and promoting tourism. With progress, visitors and locals alike will be educated about the value of keeping the reefs intact and healthy. They now have a very good reason to protect it. Now, this does not mean that all dive businesses will become cattle boats. Like Cozumel, there will still be the small outfits who will specialize on small groups. I say (as a former business-owner myslef, if you can't beat your competition then specialize. Personally, when I go diving, I hate cattle boats so I seek out the small guys for a more personalized service. Small groups also make me get better acquainted with everyone as I tend to watch over members of the group when we are underwater. This is a force of habit as I always want to be a very good buddy. If you want a less crowded atmosphere, visit the dive site during the off-peak season. Not only do you get the best airfare and accomodation rates, you will have your peace and quiet. This is what I do when I fly off and go diving especially in Cozumel. Now, in the case of the Philippines and its 7,100 islands, there are a lot of dive sites that are off-the beaten path and not yet popular or have yet to be discovered. There will always be dive sites that will be less visited compared to others. So, in the end, in the midst of progress and all the cattle boat operations, you will have your cake and eat it too.
So after hearing my thoughts, which one do you prefer? Reef destruction to due an increased number of divers or illegal and brutal ways of fishing. You decide!
Phil (bisugo767)
