Mauling the reef

I just returned from two weeks in Curacao and my first diving impression was "Look out for anyone with a digital camera rig." I was bashed in the head, bumped from underneath frequently, etc. etc. and the poor seahorse on one dive must have been dreaming of NEMO. I think we are spawning a group of divers who are enamored with technology but who lack the basic diving skills that are necessary to carry out the mission. I was so disgusted that I did not take my camera in the water for a week. I also did not dive with the operator that had a very large group on the boat with one DM again either (IMHO).

TedJ

I agree 100% about the reputation. Digital underwater photographers are even more poorly thought of than film photographers - in the etiquette and dive skills department.

I think this is because there is an explosion in "newbie" underwater photograhers since consumer digicams have entered the scene. Many people making their first dives are now also carrying cameras.

Thoughts? Are we giving the hobby a bad name?

Cheers

James

Many people making their first dives are now also carrying cameras.

Good Grief! That really IS a scary thought. As if the task loading isn't bad enough while learning to dive.

Martyn

It is excellent to see this issue being discussed constructively and honestly.

I think that it would be good to see some realistic and honest articles out there in the diving and underwater photography media about this issue. Not just the sort of "have good buoyancy skills" etc that people tend to gloss over, content that their buoyancy skills are first class.

One great advantage we have as photographers is that we are often the ones asked to write articles and give talks because we have the images! I think that we take this opportunity to get the message across that many photographers do their upmost to look after the reef. This will show normal divers that we do care and that it is only a minority that cause damage. And that we should all say something to "educate" this minority.

Alex

I have an article on this called "Touching the Dead Zone" that will be finished shortly. Just need to get a few more photos - got chased off by Tropical Storm Grace and only got one of the ones I needed on the last trip.

Cheers

James

Thoughts?  Are we giving the hobby a bad name?

You already answered tht question yourself

I think if you need to use SCUBA to take underwater pics, you should probably learn to SCUBA first, regardless of whether you use film or digital. People who use film have a tendency to bemoan the digital people regardless of the issue. It's an insecurity with many roots, but that's not the purpose of my comments. If you need tanks, learn to use em before you add to the complexities of what you are doing. My $.02...

--John

I was certified as a SCUBA diver in 1971 and since then have continued to hone my skills as new equipment and techniques have been developed and accepted by the diving industry. I have been "taking pictures" since about the same time with Nikon gear, not using the F1, 2, 3 etc but at the next level below. Combining the two occurred in about 1993.

Even with this experience I just had some difficulty taking digital images in Curacao with the 5050 rig because of new dive sites, unfamiliar currents and the complexity of the camera rig. Also I never touch anything, unless by accident and that is very infrequently.

I watched people with new camera rigs (particularly digital and even more particularly with 5050s), new Scuba gear, and obviously newly acquired skills destroy more than I have seen in my entire diving lifetime. It was truly appalling. But then I watched as small groups of new divers were emerging from scuba classes after a day or two armed with cameras and video rigs that were truly hard to handle by any ones estimate. I have bumps on my head from one 5050er and when six of the 19 divers on the boat I happened to be on with one DM converged on the lone Seahorse on the wreck of the Superior Producer I was glad I had not brought my camera along.

This was my second dive of the two-week trip and under no circumstance would I have taken the camera anyway since this is part of my reacquaintance procedure with diving conditions after a lay-off of several months. But most of the diving "photographers" on the boat were very new to both activities and their actions certainly showed it.

I do not want to get into a gloves vs no gloves argument as I understand the necessity for protection, however, I have never seen such pathetic diving actions in the Caymans where I have dived every March for the last 10 years and no gloves are allowed. I have also not seen the level of "photographer" lack of diving skills, except infrequently, in Grand Cayman. Only once has a diving photographer blatently touched the reefs and chased the turtles on dives that I have been on. And he was chastised mightily by other divers once we got back to the boat. It turned out he was an obnoxious individual who flared at the thought of anyone questioning a diver with a Nikonos RS, and would never think he did anything wrong. But that was a rare incident on Cayman.

I believe from my recent experience that we are about to be beset with a host of divers with cameras who have no business doing either activity without further education and training and that to me is sad.

Sorry for the long tirade.

TedJ

I can whole-heartedly agree that ANYONE who takes to this hobby of underwater photography should have mastered scuba diving way in advance. As it is, without a camera in hand it's too easy to sometimes damage the reef accidentally because of poor bouyancy or underwater conditions where you shouldn't be carrying a camera (ie. ripping current). What I feel is unacceptable is the intentional damage caused by some photographers who will stop at nothing in order to get their photograph. Usually these divers will intentionally cram themselves into the reef if there's a ripping current (wearing their full wetsuit and gloves, of course), grab onto a coral to steady themselves, or disregard the reef all together if their photographic subject has no part in it.

Now the difference I see between a new diver who might have with no foul intentions (simply lack of experience) the concept of diving with a camera in hand without first perfecting his/her neutral bouyancy and that of the veteran diver mentioned above is as follows.

The new diver can be taught in a nice manner the importance of not damaging the reef by helping them become better divers (ie. helping them acquire neutral bouyancy, teaching them all those little scuba tricks). After they've gotten better at it you can offer to take photographs with them and find a nice sandy spot (not on top of the Yellowhead Jawfish's lair) where they can practice some macro photography. This will indirectly show them how fragile and beautiful a single polyp of a coral can be and in the process they will learn to appreciate the importance of not damaging the reef.

On the other hand, the veteran diver is usually one with many years of diving under his/her belt. Unwilling to take the slightest comment about their wrong doing without getting defensive -- at times even rude. None the less, their actions are disgusting to say the least and any respect they might have acquired from their stunning photography is quickly flushed down the toilet after watching them at work.

If these divers are unwilling to change their ways then by all means include their acts and the aftermath of the damaged coral in your next slideshow presentation if you're on a liveaboard or show them to the captain when you're back on the boat (gotta love digital). If nothing works then a little "accidental" bump onto some Touch-Me-Not Sponge will put them out of commision for a while.

My 2 cents.

Laz,

I agree but hadn't thought about the use of digital photography in this manner. Good observation.

TEdJ

Yeah, I like the "caught red handed!" aspect. I have digi pics of the DM from my dives on Oahu harassing an octopus. I use it in slideshows all the time.

Good post Laz!!! When you stop learning, you might as well lay down and die.

Cheers

James

Unfortunately, it seems Hawaii is a great offender in terms of SCUBA ettiquette. I don't know why. I have seen complaints here about operations on Molokini and Oahu. I myself, who live on Oahu, have witnessed problems at both places. On Molokini we were sent out in three groups. One was a snorkeller, a beginner went down with a divemaster, and then two more of us went down with another divemaster. Before the dive, the boat captain was berating the (for lack of better word) snorkelmaster. The snorkelmaster was helping me into my BC and got chewed out for doing something wrong. I was surprised because the captain had seemed pretty cool about things and to hear him turn Bligh on one of the crew seemed a bit harsh. Anyway, we got down to the Molokini crater bottom and after a while of swimming along we came across the beginner diver and divemaster. The DM was cutting open a collector urchin to attract milletseed butterflyfish. I almost blew a fuse, but let it go. After being rushed through the underwater world, we came back up to hear the snorkelmaster getting berated for bringing my brother out too far from the boat. She seemed to be Eastern European and I felt really sorry for her. And I think it was very poor ettiquette to chew out crew in front of customers. A) It makes EVERYONE uncomfortable, and B) It isn't very professional.

Back on Oahu I, at length, decided to go diving with some friends who had been recently certified. Oh boy...we got in on a 2-tank boat dive. I waited around at the marina for an hour before finding out from my friend via cell that the divemaster pushed back the dive by an hour and even said he had called me to let me know. BS. I never got the call. An hour later they show up. The boat doesn't. The boat is 20-30 minutes late on top of that. Turns out the boat being late earlier in the day with other groups was the reason for us starting an hour late to begin with. There was only 5 of us, so I thought it should be a nice ride out. Then 2 other groups showed up for the same boat. There wasn't even enough room for everyone to sit. And it was a very choppy day. As we got our gear on board the harbor patrol comes up and warns one of the divemasters to tell the captain that he has come through a no-wake zone with engines blazing twice and that he was warning him. The divemaster kind of blew him off with the "thank you, thank you, uh-huh, yeah" kind of response. Anyway, the "captain" shows up--some kid in his early twenties. Surfer X-games type. He goes ripping out and the divemaster conveys the earlier warning from the harbor master. He doesn't seem to care. From that point on, things got worse. Mooring at the spots took forever(granted--it was rough). Two girls were spewing off the stern. We finally get in and it is just a beginner place(turns out the divemasters pick the spot right before they boarded the boat). Absolutely nothing of value for seeing. I saw a couple of scorpionfish that I have only seen once before and that was my big thrill. At the second site it was a little deeper, but all the same. And one frogfish. All around were newbies bumping into people and grabbing, crunching coral. What a nightmare. I got back and vowed not to go SCUBA diving in Hawaii again. I enjoy freediving a whole lot more, anyway. My $.02...

--John