Taking pictures and touching things ... thoughts

[Scubajenrn]

Just got back from Cozumel and was disgusted by a diver swimming like a bull in china shop with a go pro on a stick. He shoved it in a turtle's face and then a nurse sharks face disrupting the natural scenery. I'm going to start calling people out on the dive boat when they are destroying the reefs.

 

[Nemrod]

Just got back from Cozumel and was disgusted by a diver swimming like a bull in china shop with a go pro on a stick. He shoved it in a turtle's face and then a nurse sharks face disrupting the natural scenery. I'm going to start calling people out on the dive boat when they are destroying the reefs.

Anyone can make a mistake but the behavior you describe is ignorant and destructive. I have pointed such out to people but usually try to tell the guides (Coz or Caymans) and they usually can correct the behavior, since, this is their livelihood, especially in Cozumel. I did a mile (or more) swim down the coast in Cozumel and encountered what was a Catholic priest on the rocks with a group of young (local) men all outfitted with SCUBA. I waved and they waved back. I am thinking that they were receiving some early training to eventually become a dive guide. This is an important and very good means of making a living there and they know that without the reefs there will be no more tourists which means there will be no more money.

Sometimes a teachable moment is available, they simply do not know better. Often they know better and do it anyways. In which case let somebody know who is in a position to have authority because it likely will just get ugly with you. Like the group I mentioned in another thread some time back, whose every word was prefaced by the adjective use of a word starting with f. Fortunately, Neptune, a buddy of mine, removed their GoPro cameras from their procession.

N

 

[drbill]

I'm with Bob. As a marine biologist, when diving in familiar waters I generally have a good idea of what can and can't be touched without harming it. In general I don't touch, but in some cases I will reposition a critter for a better camera angle. Of course I've never actually asked a critter if my touch bothers it...

 

[ev780]

This place is so funny sometimes. It is always a crap shoot to see which camp gets control of a thread first. The blind adherence to the rules crowd or, like this thread, the reasonable thinking crowd. Every time I open a thread I have a preconceived notion of the responses and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised.

No touchy is a very lofty goal and one I aspire too. However, the one finger pushoff is something I use a lot if trying to get the shot. Better than a full on crash into the reef I figure. And as time has passed in my diving I have separated some of the scare tactics about killing coral from the facts. Coral grows much faster than what I was taught so a little finger touch is not going to destroy the Great Barrier Reef. But millions of fingers will, I get that too. Also learning to recognize limestone as opposed to live coral has helped too.

 

[Interceptor121]

Well the start of the thread is a bit weird. PADI training covers one finger push ups which implicitly means there are cases where it's needed. I don't move fish but we need to be realistic about laying on sand and being able to tell the difference between rock and sand and coral. If you don't know it then don't mess about. PADI have been teaching skills kneeling down on the bottom and as result sites used for training are fairly devastated so we need to be careful here about theory and practice!

 

[victorzamora]

I am PADI trained and I have the "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING" so ingrained in my head that I'm literally rolling my eyes at myself if I suspect that a fin tip may have touched something by accident - I feel SO stupid! I have 135 dives and my dive instructor has said that I have good buoyancy - but I'll keep working to improve it as long as I dive. With that in mind, when I'm taking pictures I take great care to be aware of where all of my body parts and equipment are so that I'm not damaging the reef structure (or my buddy!). Having the buoyancy to take the picture and get great photos is a challenge and I love it when I get a great shot! However ... I was watching a youtube of someone in Cozumel taking pictures and she was using one hand to hold on to a coral head (I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she probably placed her hand strategically so as not to damage anything) while she took the picture. What went through my mind was that her actions weren't in keeping with the challenge - heck, anyone could get a good shot on dry land or by holding onto something. I love to watch the owner of my LDS when she's taking pictures - she's got great buoyancy and relies on that to maintain her position in the water.

Am I being overly rigid in my thinking? Is it ok to strategically hold on to something to get that great picture? Honestly, the way that marine life camouflage I'd be a bit fearful of putting my fingers anywhere without gloves on - and many of the places we dive don't allow gloves.

Looking forward to your responses.

I think I'll stick with the "if I can't get the shot using buoyancy adjustments then I'll forego the shot". Again, for me it's also about the challenge - and sometimes I have to mutter a "dang it" into my regulator as I watch a great shot pass by. But there will always be more dives to try again ...

Thanks everyone!

I have nothing against carefully touching the environment. If done responsibly, there is little to no impact. If I were steadying myself for a shot, and it was a shot I cared about, I'd certainly be tempted to use a finger to stabilize myself. However, it seems like you enjoy the challenge as much as the pictures. For that reason alone: DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!! It'll get boring if you do ! Do what you love!!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I'm like the expert biologist. I move fish and other organisms for better pics or video

 

[Bob DBF]

Don't touch anything is a lofty goal, but like any of the other "training by catchphrase" it does not prepare one to touch with minimal or no damage to the environment when one has no choice.



Bob

 

[kimbalabala]

Just got back from Cozumel and was disgusted by a diver swimming like a bull in china shop with a go pro on a stick. He shoved it in a turtle's face and then a nurse sharks face disrupting the natural scenery. I'm going to start calling people out on the dive boat when they are destroying the reefs.

It really feels like cheating when someone with a GoPro puts that camera right in front of the subject - again, no skill necessary - and gets a great shot, while I'm left in the silt-storm of their passing through. I'm not knocking GoPro owners - I'm knocking GoPro owners who opt out of developing skills and instead just shove their camera wherever the best shot is and then swim away. I suppose I sound a little bit like I have a case of 'sour grapes', and as long as the reef isn't disturbed then it's ok. But I feel like I should overlay my pics with text saying 'taken while working really hard to maintain great buoyancy - not with a GoPro on the go'!

And what you describe above is just wrong. Grrrrr.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

It really feels like cheating when someone with a GoPro puts that camera right in front of the subject - again, no skill necessary - and gets a great shot, while I'm left in the silt-storm of their passing through. I'm not knocking GoPro owners - I'm knocking GoPro owners who opt out of developing skills and instead just shove their camera wherever the best shot is and then swim away. I suppose I sound a little bit like I have a case of 'sour grapes', and as long as the reef isn't disturbed then it's ok. But I feel like I should overlay my pics with text saying 'taken while working really hard to maintain great buoyancy - not with a GoPro on the go'!

And what you describe above is just wrong. Grrrrr.

If a tree falls...... If nobody sees your buoyancy control in the final picture.....