Top Tips on How To Become an Eco-Friendly Diver
Scuba divers often see first-hand just how much trouble are oceans are in.
Climate change and the increasing buildup of pollution are affecting the oceans significantly, therefore it is our responsibility to help wherever and whenever we can!
As divers, we have such an amazing way to experience our planet. We are given the opportunity to view it in a different way from others, a powerful way and it is time to do our part.
Responsible scuba divers naturally tend to be quite eco-conscious in general, but there is always room for improvement!
Here are some of the best ways to become an eco-friendly diver…
Choose a Reputable Operator
It’s always exciting planning a dive trip but the very first thing you should concentrate on is to choose an honourable organisation that you can trust. It’s essential to do your research as there are a number of companies out there that don’t have the ocean’s best interests at heart (carelessly dropping anchors, bad safety protocols, polluting dive sites etc). Official PADI dive centres and resorts must undergo and abide by strict, thorough regulations so tracking down an official PADI dive centre would be the best place to start. You can do this by using the PADI dive locator tool on their website to help aid your search. Always push for responsible practices where possible, check online reviews for positive consistency and speak to the dive centres directly to find out more about their ethics and core values.
Buoyancy Control
One of the most important things to master in scuba diving is maintaining neutral buoyancy. Not only does it help with feeling comfortable during a dive and make it more enjoyable for yourself but it also helps any surrounding marine life too. Sudden movement can frighten marine life sending them into a panic, initiating the fight or flight mode and altering their natural behaviour. Make sure to check your weight, adjust when necessary and respect the ocean wholeheartedly. Pay particular attention to your position underwater, don’t forget you are now a much bigger size with a tank and long fins. It’s important to be aware of any equipment that may drag along the sea bed, disturbing any sediment as you go and damaging marine life. Remember - there’s no need to rush underwater, keep a slow, steady pace at all times and enjoy yourself.
Zero Contact
This one is essential and there are quite a few things we could talk about here. First of all, please don’t feed the fish. Feeding aquatic life with unnatural food can seriously affect their day to day behavioural patterns and damage the local ecology. Don’t chase them either. Lining yourself up for that perfect photo can take a long time to achieve, but if the animal moves on, please don’t be tempted to chase it. You’ll only cause alarm and panic! We, humans, are literally aliens underwater to marine life. We must respect them at all times and avoid touching or removing anything from the ocean, this includes corals!
Leave The Gloves Behind
Nearly every diver has a pair of gloves in their dive kit, whether it be for protection from potentially dangerous situations (being bitten, cuts leading to infection etc) or ensuring hand warmth. The thing about gloves though, is that they tend to give off a false sense of superiority, encouraging people to think that they’re free to touch whatever they want. In fact, some dive centres have introduced a ‘glove free’ policy in a bid to try and stop divers from making this mistake. The only considered ‘acceptable’ time to use gloves is when ascending or descending down an anchored line where cockles may have attached themselves, creating sharp points along the line. As said in my previous tip, educated and eco-conscious divers know not to touch anything underwater unless removing rubbish or using the line. Of course, some parts of the world require different forms of scuba gear depending on the temperature and other factors, so a good practice is to get into the habit of not using your hands at all when diving, removing the urge to touch completely.
Sustainable Goods
Switching to more sustainable methods is not only hugely beneficial to the environment but to our health too! Plastic is made from a series of oil-derived products and is mostly non-biodegradable. It can release incredibly harmful toxins which can enter our soil, our water, our air and even our bodies. Most plastics are not or can not be recycled properly, ending up in landfills across the globe but sometimes they don’t even make it that far. Instead, ending up in our oceans and forests for animals to confuse with food, become entangled in or suffocated from, resulting in death. You’ve seen the haunting image of the poor turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose, right?? It’s time to stop buying plastic disposables and start investing in more sustainable materials such as reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles, stainless steel/bamboo straws and cutlery instead of plastic ones. Start using Reef Safe sunscreen when diving and why not use good old fashioned spit to clean your mask rather than relying on defogger?
Raise Awareness
Part of being a responsible diver is to report any environmental issues that you may come across. This includes logging sightings of endangered species and coral bleaching in your logbook or even reporting any environmental violations you may have witnessed. It’s important to help conservationists identify problem areas by inputting your data or sharing your pictures online and letting the world know what’s going on. You never know, you could dive into an area that is usually thriving with marine life only to discover a major species depletion. Help raise awareness and report it! Project AWARE is a nonprofit organisation that has an app available. You can download it to your phone and input any recent data findings you may have.
Responsible Photography
Taking photographs of the view whilst diving is a favourite amongst many of us, but it's important to be smart about it. Always stay at a polite distance so as not to startle any marine life, move slowly and ensure that you are not a threat. Never block any exits for animals, never reach out to them and switch off your camera flash! Have you ever been unprepared for a photo and gotten blinded by the flash? Well, imagine what it would do underwater to creatures that don’t even know what a camera is! The same goes for torches, if you’re using your torch then please do not shine it directly at anything that could be potentially blinded and left disorientated. A pretty photo is always a nice souvenir but please think about your subject first before proceeding.
Give Back
Giving back is a definite part of being an eco-friendly diver and there are a fair few ways to do this. Firstly, find your nearest beach clean and take part. There’s nothing better than meeting like-minded people and making a stand by joining forces to remove plastics and other rubbish from the beaches! Some dive centres make a whole day of it, enabling everyone to come together and clean whilst diving, snorkelling or on the nearby islands.
You can also support your local marine conservation projects and various marine conservation charities by donating and raising awareness.
Lead By Example
My final tip, which is more of a reminder, is to lead by example and actively help to rid the land and oceans of human inflicted waste. The biggest offenders are often cigarette butts, various plastics and fishing nets. It’s important for us all to remove debris whenever possible and educate our family and friends about the value of doing so. Let’s make a conscious effort, be a force for good and above all, clean up properly after ourselves underwater, on land and on the dive boat!
