Sipadan. No more corals = no more sushi/sashimi.

[eugene73]

Hello all,

gf and i just came back from a 4d/3n stay at Kapalai (SKDR).

the dives at Kapalai, Mabul, Sipadan, and especially Si Amil & Denawan were great! We had very friendly DMs - special thanks to Linda and Ralston, who took us to great sites and showed us many fantastic residents of the Celebes Sea.

one thing marred an otherwise fantastic diving holiday though... we were grouped with a family of 3 japanese divers on our 3rd day there.

i have no idea where these people learnt to dive but, with only 17 dives each prior to this trip, the gf and i worked hard to control our buoyancy, and mostly kept ourselves at 1-2m above the sea floor/corals.

Not these Japanese divers.

On every dive, 2 of them with cameras were either stirring up the sandy bottoms with their fins, causing visibility to drop below 5m, or stepping on live corals to get a shot of something nearby.

The third japanese diver didn't have a camera. her 'speciality' was swimming just below us, and blowing us a face-full of bubbles, not once or twice by accident, but close to 10 times on each dive. *sigh*

DMs signaled them to get off the floor/corals ; other divers pointed out to them they were stepping on live corals; the gf and i tried to stay away from them - it's a big sea damn it! - but nothing worked.

they either didn't understand, or plainly didn't give a ****... i don't know which.

it's very sad... i want my children, and in the future, my children's children to enjoy places like Sipadan and Si Amil. not sure if there'll be any corals or marine life left when it's their turn though...

 

[scubajo007]

My guess is they didn't give a ****... for the environment this is not the first time divers has complained about Japanese divers stepping on corals to get an under water shot. I also want the future generations to enjoy the under water world so the question is how we stop them, yes I know a spear gun will do the trick, but seriously what should we as divers do to stop this ignorant attitude, any suggestions?

 

[PeCaRi]

swim over and pull them away from the garden! Afterwards on the boat have a talk to them! Explaining that these corals are dead now! Often they feel very guilty even if it is just because they were attacked from another diver. if they don't speak english or your language, throw an angry look at them and try to get an interpreter. They understand!
But this kind of diving is not only a "specialty" of Japanese divers.
On the Maldives, one diver was excluded from diving for 1 day after jumping on the corals. I found that great.

 

[ScubaSteve]

You had better watch out with these stories. There are people on this board that think it is perfectly fine to crash into the bottom on coral to get a better shot of a fish.

I just got back from Thailand a couple weeks ago and had the lucky streak to get to see a 3.5 meter Manata Ray on one of my dives. I was diving with a very nice Austrian couple where the man was carrying what had to be $7000 worth of hi-def video equipment. And here I am with my crappy P&S camera with poor video quality :blush:.

Well, when I first saw the Manta, I was so excited......I got everyone's attention and then made sure I was clear of the reef and started to video the Manata (vis would not have made for great photos). I was lucky and got some neat (not great) footage. After I had some footage I looked around and saw that the guy with the expensive equipment had crashed onto the reef and was almost laying on it so that he would be steady.

Just sad to see things like this.

 

[Wookie]

I hate to stereotype divers into the "bad japanese diver" category but in my experience, some cultures don't seem to revere the sea as much as some others. My first dive trip was to Papua-New Guinea. There, I witnessed a Japanese couple tasting a giant clam underwater. Yu, slicing off a piece and giving the mantle a taste.

I have a dive guide friend in Okinawa that tells horror stories...

Frank

 

[ScubaSteve]

Well I won't necessarily stereotype like that because I have seen just as many North Americans bounce off the bottom as other nationalities. We all have them but I will say that what you described would be typical for only certain nationalities.

Absolutely terrible. I am not sure how I would react to that if I had been there.

 

[eugene73]

my intention was not to stereotype anyone or any nationality here, but to express a sadness at witnessing such a fragile and beautiful environment treated in such a careless manner.

we did not confront them on the boat (and only signaled them off the corals whenever we're near enuf underwater) cos we didn't want the holiday to turn ugly. it's bad enuf to dive with such divers... besides, the DM already tried.

the sad reality is, no one will seriously stop them from diving cos they paid to be there, and the DC won't want to lose business in this competitive environment.

i guess the only way to prevent such things from happening is proper education. include information on coral conservation etc. in OW courses for example. the certification agencies have a responsibility to help preserve the coral reefs for future generations!

 

[Hank49]

my intention was not to stereotype anyone or any nationality here,

It would have been better to have just said, "three divers".

 

[eugene73]

you are right Hank49. i mentioned their nationality cos i kept thinking about how there won't be any sushi left if all the corals died...

anywayz...
Happy New Year to ALL divers! :dork:

 

[skipperharis]

I agree with hank, just say three scuba divers and education is the best remedy for this kind of situation.