Bruciebabe:
Obviously you guys are all perfect divers and never touch the living reef. However in my experience gloved divers do touch the reef, sometimes a lot, whilst un gloved divers rarely touch the reef. Touching the reef is extremely damaging.
I am not a perfect diver but I do all I can to avoid contact with the living reef. If I ever touch the reef it is either by accident or extreme necessity, in which cases it would happen whether Im wearing gloves or not. I know that touching the reef is extremely damaging. Wearing gloves is not.
Bruciebabe:
So anyone who wants to conserve the reef would not wear gloves and would not want to see others wearing gloves. This is why it is the law in so many places. It encourages people to dive properly.
I want to conserve the reefs. I am more comfortable wearing gloves and the law in many places has nothing to do with my reasons for doing so.
Encourage divers to dive properly? BS. What do you suppose such poorly trained diver, prevented from using his hands, will use to push off a reef to prevent himself from crashing? The solution is education and training. Do your job as an instructor.
Bruciebabe:
The people I saw totally wrecking the reef in PG were all wearing gloves. Perhaps if these gloves were taken off them they would do less damage.
Perhaps, but there are more effective solutions, among them education and training. And why take the gloves off everybody?
Bruciebabe:
And the Coral Reef Alliance, dedicated to looking after reefs worldwide, is anti glove:
http://www.coralreefalliance.org/howyoucanhelp/coralfriendlydivers.html
They recommend avoiding the use of gloves in reefs. YOU are anti-glove.
Bruciebabe:
Avoid all contact with corals and other marine life and never chase or ride marine animals
Take nothing living or dead out of the sea, except recent garbage
Maintain good buoyancy control
Practice good finning technique and body control
Ensure all equipment is well secured so that it cannot drag or snag on corals
Only handle, manipulate or feed marine life under expert guidance, never just to take photographs
Avoid using gloves and kneepads in coral reef environments
All good practices which should be reminded to all divers. Note that the term "avoid" implies that it is allowable in certain cercumstances.
Any piece of gear can be misused, by intent or out of ignorance or lack of skill. But I will repeat as often as you want that I and a lot of people, unlike you, are more comfortable diving with gloves and have valid uses for them, but have as much concern for reefs as you do.
he bought 4 pairs!
