When is "the line" crossed?

[jonnythan]

Lose the gloves. (No matter what) No excuses.

Is 40 degree water an excuse??

 

[Doc]

Is 40 degree water an excuse??

Things that exist in 40 degree water need to be touched, maybe even rubbed :07: a bit.

 

[rpodos]

I'm pretty firmly in the no touch, no food school, both for myself and as a general rule for the vast majority of divers. Corals, obviously a no-no. I worry most about inadvertantly harming an animal in some way... pretty much all fish fall into this category, due to skin mucus. Invetrebrates, well, they are bugs and slugs., so generally no harm done, but stil be careful. Marine mammals, it's up to them.

Follow Caduceus' rule: First, do no harm.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Just for grins & giggles, this is about as close as I like to get to a Moray (clip taken in Bonaire in '03 - I use it as a "backfinning" example video.)
Rick

I get the same effect with zoom in/out........haha

 

[Ernesto]

Follow Caduceus' rule: First, do no harm.

Good rule. Unfortunately whom determines harm. If chasing the critter for a photo makes it expend energy such that a few minutes later when it needs to flee a predator it's a tiny bit too slow...

No perfection here either though, I occassionally pick up a crab or sea cucumber, love when an oct grabs my finger, you do ahve to take your glove off in 40ish degree water -- they don't like to touch neoprene.

It's still a good rule.

ernie

 

[drdiver1952]

Let's see here. We enter this vast new world because we have the technology that allows us to.

Which of course makes it O.K. to touch, take, feed, whatever we want.

And so where did that allow us to do whatever we want?

Just think about it, that's all I ask.

Leave it alone. It was there for a million years before we came along.

Technology isn't everything.

D.

 

[PhotoTJ]

Touch it if it allows it, or if you're gonna eat it. Leave it alone, otherwise. And wear gloves if it's cold.

 

[IceIce]

Prune Fingers,
The grouper looked very friendly and smiley. Love it.

And there's places where the wolf eels are so used to diver interaction that they'll come right up to you, begging like an ill-trained dog for table scraps. Had one wrap itself around my leg one time and gave me the saddest look outta that smurf-blue face ... reminded me of a hungry golden retriever.

Awwww... I would love to be there... :07:

I am between 'don't ever touch' and 'touch only if you know how'.
I prefer with passive action - reaction.

Maybe I have a different perspective on this than a lot of people but I grew up in the woods and I've interacted with animals all my life. Some of my fondest memories are memories of interacting with animals. I managed to coax a hummingbird to sit on my finger once, for example, and I guarantee you it's a much richer experience than watching one fly by.....

Green Morays actually like to be rubbed and touched. Keep your hand flat and move very slowly and don't make aggressive moves and the eel will actually rub your hand in the spot where they would like to be rubbed.

Agree.
Just like if we try to touch a dog, bird or whatever, we don't try reach out our hand and stroke the head directly. We have to put our hand close to the creature, inviting them and 'talk' or show them that we mean no harm. If they come and let you touch them, then why not. If they are not interested, then don't proceed; give them some privacy.


With so many divers around nowadays, maybe papa moray eel just gives mama moray eel boring yawn and says," Yea yeah, another stupid floating human who thinks they can swim like us is here again. This is the 24th times of the day they disturb my nap trying to touch me, those pervert! I need a psychiatrist."

 

[Eris Lucan7*]

I get the same effect with zoom in/out........haha

....well what sigh ever. 7*


I hate all kind off sharks.And i hate ppl that think its funy to play with them.

http://www.solarfireflight.de

 

[stevetim]

It's the grabbing grasping unthinking touching I hate. People who just reach out and have to poke at everything, whether it wants to be touched or not.

I guess my main yardstick is I don't agree with anything that forces the animal to move away. They should be left alone unless they're obviously not bothered i.e. they don't move away.

Well, "anything" that "forces" an underwater inhabitant to move away could include you just swimming in the direction of the animal. I would hate to think that if I swim around marine life and startle or make it move from it's originally planned route that I am somehow changing the animal's predatory or defensive instincts in some way.