Whether I find myself twisting through endless cenote passageways or drifting bird-like over Cozumel's reefs, I never cease to be astonished by the underwater world. When I am below the surface, I focus on precision and diving technique. At the same time, I turn my attention outwards and lose part of myself in the magical movement of the water and the rhythm of my breathing. Diving is a sort of meditation for me. As I have observed the health of my home reefs decline and begun to find trash in my favorite caves, the ebullience I experience underwater is tempered with the fear that I will soon lose my favorite places to pollution, unsustainable development and environmental decline.
I love teaching people to dive because I have the opportunity to instill in my students the importance of conserving the underwater environment. Non-divers do not always appreciate the wonder and diversity that lies beneath the surface of the water. When asked to vote or take action that will help to protect the health of the Earth's waters, they are sometimes unmotivated or resistant. I have found that this apathy disappears when people learn to dive.
Most divers have an emotional investment in protecting reefs and aquatic life because they have experienced the thrill of diving first-hand. A scuba diver is unlikely to throw a plastic bag in the ocean because a gentle turtle may mistake it for a jellyfish dinner and die. Few divers will eat unsustainably harvested seafood because they have seen the decline in aquatic diversity with their eyes. As an open water instructor, I am not only training divers but educating advocates who will take actions, big or small, to protect their beloved underwater world.
Divers also help to protect the Earth's oceans and lakes by spending money on diving. The profitability of scuba diving as tourist industry has lead to the creation of marine parks by governments who wish to keep their dive sites healthy to attract tourists. An example is Cozumel, where nearly the entire island's economy is sustained by tourism dollars traceable in one way or another back to the dive industry. The creation of a marine park in Cozumel has helped to keep the island's reefs healthy, and it remains a top dive destination despite coastal development and the high number of tourists that flock to the island every year.
Recreational divers, instructors, and dive operators all have the opportunity to inspire people to conserve the underwater world. Every diver we recruit and train is another ambassador of the unique aquatic environment we all love.
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Image copyright istockphoto.com, strmko
Comments
What you see happening in Tulum and their plan to become “as big as Cancun” is also sad to see, and it’s clear that the decisions are all taken by non-divers who just look at what’s happening in Playa and Cancun and want their share also.
Who can’t say that, five years from now, Merida could become the new cenote country because, with the exception of Dos Ojos and Grand Cenote, all underwater tunnels in QR will have been either closed off or destroyed because of over-development?