Photographers - be careful

[Islandbound 1]

On our little island of Okinawa there is an ongoing practice of "reclaiming" land from the ocean. Thousands of cubic meters of dirt are simply poured 20-30-40 meters or more from the shoreline outward to create more usable land space. This has been going on so long that there are places on the island where successive remnants of seawalls are visible showing the progression of the land creation.

[scorpio_fish 5]

I recently went on a mass diving boat to the great barrier reef out of cairns and observed that 95 % of the people entering the water used sunscreen. The dive master strongly recommended the use of it. If each diver/snorkeller uses 100ml of this sunscreen & if there are 5000 people/day = 500 litres of chemical being poured onto the reef. no wonder the reefs are in a sad state.

 

Drivel

 

1) People don't use 100ml a day

2) 5,000 people over what area?

3) Sunscreens generally consist of at least 65% water.

4) They have a specific gravity of less than 1. You can't pour them on the reef, unless the reef is above water.

5) The amount of "chemicals" covering the area of 5000 divers/snorkelers would produce a ppm so low as to be completely insignificant.

 

If the reefs are in a sad state, it is not due to the use of sunscreen.

[scubarobot 0]

I hate to bring this up but we have all contributed to the gradual demise of the ocean reefs. Global warming has had a far greater impact than a hoard of clumsy photographers/videographers. Just look up the studies on that subject. Most of us on this site are probably very careful. Most of the time it's the average consumer with a camera that are not as careful. Someday quite possibly in our lifetimes the reefs will disappear and only exist in our memories, photographs and videos!

[ScubaSpen 0]

Check this out, it's getting worse, this incident made it to the local paper about violence underwater. Click on "Inside Story" from link below. You will need a PDF reader.

 

http://www.phuketgazette.net/digitalgazett...6259&Cat=34

[pakman 0]

I thought the article on top of page 6 was more interesting... a warning to u/w photographers who dive leach infested ponds with loose fitting swim trunks...

[DeanB 19]

I thought the article on top of page 6 was more interesting... a warning to u/w photographers who dive leach infested ponds with loose fitting swim trunks...

 

Ahh bugger !!! Thas my fetish dives cancelled now its out in the open (so to speak)...

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

[colinwen 0]

I spent a few time to glance these articles above.

I quite agree most of you experince diver and photograhper.

But according to my personal experience, as a recruit diver, marine biologist, photographer.

In my memery, when people wont to take photos underwater, it increse the possiblity to have physical contact with coral or other marine creature, both experience or inexperience.

I believe the original ariticle may have some experimental bias or sample size problem.

However, I reckon the orginial writer just try to get people's attention when take photo underwater.

And the turth for me is when I didnot bring the camera with my self, I will keep every creature away off me.

Once I bring my camera, sometimes I will contact with some creature, even I am quite confidence with my natual buoyance.

Accident happened while I got more close to the bottom.

And I believe this will happen to the less experience more definitely.

Of course, it may never happen to some experience diver, but who can guaratee he/she never hurt any marine creature while take a underwater photos?

That's my personal experience to support the article.

[wbk 1]

funny to note this topic was started in 2004 but wanted to bump it to the front as it is becoming ever more important!

 

It is interesting looking back over the opinions expressed over the time and slightly comical aswell to look at the people's attitude who were trying to defend the original point. There seem to have been a few attempts to say it but what i felt they missed was simple... any damage that divers / photographers do to the reef is too much. It doesn't matter if it is the main cause of reef degredation or not.. it all adds up.

 

Interestingly enough, recently i was watching a photographer who shall remain nameless but is in the esteemed ranks of a National Geographic photographer working on a project. First of all i found it hysterical that he appeared to be terrified of just about all the sealife there was, couldn't help but thinking he picked the wrong area to work in... but most of all i was completely appauled by the complete and i mean 100% disregard for the reefs. To my great distress i was forced to sit back and watch as he smashed repeatedly into the reefs and would tread all over them in the attempt to get the shot he wanted. And before you say, why didn't you say something.. i did.. but have you ever tried talking to some of those guys. His arrogance was mind blowing. Over the course of the project the amount of coral destroyed has been mind blowing but due to certain contracts that i had to sign i am unable to do anything about it, though am trying to get them to make a biorock project when they have finished at a vague attempt at compensation.

 

I work full time in the dive industry, being an instructor first and foremost and it is very interesting to see the varying approaches from divers, especially when you look at their level of diving. Quite often i find the worst and biggest offenders are not so much the new divers but actually the far more experienced divers. I happen to work in kenya and at our dive base we take a very strict approach to people touching the reef and will most seriously reprimand people for doing so and have gone so far as to refuse to allow a couple to dive any more with us as they refused to take any notice of our warnings and continued to hit the reefs. Sadly this approach is pretty much only at the place i work and have not noticed any enviromental awareness at the other dive schools. This is mainly as the manager and i have strong opinions on the area and are in the position to be able to enforce them.

 

But i would also say for people who are new to diving and are keen to enter into the world of underwater photography; please, please, please focus on your buoyancy first, before you try to pick up a camera. First of all it will make a massive improvement in the shots you take but also just a point and shoot makes a difference to your buoyancy let alone a bigger rig as your concentration shifts to your camera rather that your buoyancy. In their eagerness it kinda slips peoples minds. If you are totally insistant on taking a camera on dive 1 after your open water then please stay back from the corals just a weee bit till you are more totally in control. If you are learning throug PADI then the Peak Performance Buoyancy speciality is a great thing to do but like all specialities make sure you have an instructor that vaguely cares for you to really get the most out of the course.

 

It is a very common sight to see photographers in their eagerness to get extra close grabbing hold of stuff, that stuff turns out to be living coral. On the funny side i did see one person grab hold of some "coral" to get a close shot of something. That "coral" turned out to be a scorpion fish. That most certainly taught them a lesson and i bet they never grab anything again! hehe.

 

There are some terryfying stats out about the rate of coral reef destruction and it is safe to say that our grandchildren will never see a fraction of what we have been able to, especially for those of us that have been diving for 20 years plus. We have apparently wiped out 92% of sharks at the moment and show no signs of slowing down and tragically it is not "if" any more but "when" we wipe them out.

 

Most people are just trying to live their lives and survive. So long as they can get their fish in the supermarket they really don't care. They just don't have the time too, it is not malicious and to get angry with them for not caring is pointless. It is not so much they dont care, they just simply dont have a clue. We are in such an amazing position as divers and even more so as photographers/videographers and i really hope more and more people start to fully understand the reality of where we are at with the destruction of reefs and fish levels. But that is most certainly a morbid subject.

 

Back to the relevant subject. As a dive guide and especially as an instructor you have a huge influence on divers habits under water and it is vital that you try to introduce proper methods to people but you dont have to be a guide or instructor to make a difference. If you see someone lying all over the reef, in a non aggresive manner try to get them to stop. As more and more people get in to the water we easily forget that they simply have no clue about it. Instead of just ranting and raving to them, try explaining it, make them understand why and you will see a huge change in the approach. There are just too many angry enviromentalists that just give them grief. They forget that everyone has to start somewhere. They also forget they too had to start somewhere and i bet that their love for the ocean grew massively once they started to dive, so try to remember that they are new to it, and just learning about it, so try a little patience and you will get a far far better response.

 

Well that's my two pennies worth for the moment, clearly it is sunday evening and have had a nice slow day, but missing being out of the water for a while. Remember that it just doesn't matter if photographers are the most responsible or not, that fact that we do contribute to reef damage in any way is enough and we must try to remember that and adjust out behaviour. Man, i sound like a boring preacher so will stop, but just hope that you all remember the next time you go underwater. Most of all, make sure you really enjoy ever second when you are down there as they are quite simply not going to be there for that much longer!

 

Hope you all had a good weekend!

[derway 2]

I hope you documented the damage. Videos or photos of the damage being done. And then report the NG photog to NG, and where ever else it takes to get a response.

 

This person should not be allowed to shoot underwater for pay! Being kind to newcomers is one thing. But this kind of behavior in a paid national geographic photog is immoral, and unacceptable!!

 

Some people who happened to be in the water, in kona, and shot video of the clouds of mud raining down over the coral, when it rained up on the illegal development above redhill, after they developed land against the rules, and against their own civil engineer's advice!

 

This kind of evidence got the whole thing shut down.

 

Same thing happens with tropical fish collectors over there, who illegally break up coral, going after fish. A few photogs show up, and things change.

 

Please don't hold back on this. Report this person to his bosses! Make sure he gets pressure to change. I suggest reporting the name here, so we can all be on the lookout.

 

Don

[wbk 1]

i agree with you but i have a problem as i have signed confidentiality contracts but also i am not too sure who it is best to email. The project is also nothing to do with NG. No one else was allowed cameras nearby as the shoot if for a very well known artist and his project is taking 5 years to complete hence all the contracts which makes things a wee bit harder. So far i am persuing it through the artist himself and at the very least if i can get a biorock project out of it at least that goes someway to placating it and trying to get him off the project, but there is a reality issue here... i am just some guy, the artist is one of the highest paid in the world, and the photographer one of the top... lets be realistic.

 

But not to get sidetracked by that.. the point was that there are quite a few photographers at the top that move a lot to get the shot they want... bait stuff.. etc.etc.. and these are the guys who should know one hell of a lot better!

[DeanB 19]

A swift kick in the 'markets' usually gets the message across that you are not happy with someone's conduct. There are to many people out there who think they are better than others because of their job title. Pity you cannot name and shame the knobber.

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

[TheRealDrew 0]

There are to many people out there who think they are better than others because of their job title.

 

 

Been on more than one dive boat where above water it all sounded very impressive and then when in the water turned into a ..ahem...mess.

[PIG004 0]

A swift kick in the 'markets' usually gets the message across that you are not happy with someone's conduct. There are to many people out there who think they are better than others because of their job title. Pity you cannot name and shame the knobber.

 

Dive safe

 

DeanB

 

wbk I suspect I have met the exact same 'Pro' who wore gloves in the tropics so he wouldn't hurt his hands whilst crawling all over manta cleaning stations etc. The dive company I dive with were sh*t scared to offend him as he also writes articles for dive magizines.

They were more concerned about negative press.

 

I on the other hand don't have to worry about that and after 3 days of biting my tongue I calmly told the arrogant ass to clean up his act.

It came as quite a shock to him that someone would actually have the audacity to challenge his photographic and diving edicate.

Now make no misatke he is an excellent diver and photographer but he had simply lost the plot and getting the shot was his only concern to the detriment of the reef and other divers.

[David L 0]

Occasional photographers doesn't feel any damage to the coral reefs and so on.. but the photographers who snap frequently in any possible direction they make like diving might cause damaging to coral reefs.So,special care should be taken by photographers in possible situations.

[Jackiebalboa 0]

I think the thing is we should not touch nothing ! But I don't understand why we can make damage if we do everything alright?!

 

Other stuff are arming stronger the sealife...

[Damo 4]

I on the other hand don't have to worry about that and after 3 days of biting my tongue I calmly told the arrogant ass to clean up his act.

It came as quite a shock to him that someone would actually have the audacity to challenge his photographic and diving edicate.

Now make no misatke he is an excellent diver and photographer but he had simply lost the plot and getting the shot was his only concern to the detriment of the reef and other divers.

 

As we would say back home 'Fair play to ye boy!'

I do believe Jacques Cousteau wasn't adverse to using the odd stick of dynamite or two in the good old days, to blow up chunks of reef if they got in the way of camera shoots.

 

Wny not name and shame this arrogant ass...you'll be doing him a favour.....he can look on his 'name n shame' as part of his (much needed) re-education of where his place should be in the natural order of things....and you'll be playing a valuable role in curing that arrogance...

 

[rameus 0]

I have not read the study but when you go diving on a liveaboard and where you are expected to see nice things (coral formations or fish) people (sometimes I do, too) get too close and the damage you do with a tank banging on a coral is way bigger than some damage which is done by nature (storms or similar).

 

Besides that a lot of people doing photography underwater just don't know how to do it. It is so easy to get an underwater camera (for not that much money anymore) and you go down there without knowing your bouyancy and just kick against hard- and/or softcorals which always makes me quite angry. It's the same with an other simple and basic rule: just DONT TOUCH ANYTHING down there! As simple as that would it be if photographers knew how to control ther bouyancy and therefore get some nice pictures...

[Mbarretts20 0]

I would imagine that most people on here want reefs to survive so that we'll continue having things to see and photograph, but it always irks me that the first post is a "well, they can't possibly mean US! they must mean tourists with point and shoots".

I have been all over the world, and can tell you that the fact that you've completed your dive certs nor the fact you invested in a housing means you know anything about conservation, conscientious diving, or much else. I've seen divers trample reefs, kill species, and yes- I can tell you stories about Cousteau that no one else has heard- destroy the environment for a shot, or through negligence.

Anyway- be aware of what YOU are doing, tourist or diver.

[tdpriest 115]

I can tell you stories about Cousteau that no one else has heard...

 

We might have heard them, nonetheless.

 

Many of us have sucked eggs for a long time...

[diverdoug1 57]

Yes, including the baby seal kidnap.

We might have heard them, nonetheless.

 

Many of us have sucked eggs for a long time...

[Mbarretts20 0]

That's refreshing...I'm new on here, but I have run in Cousteau's circles...many folks have a hero adoration for him, and it's nice to know there are those out there who question what he did. (Then again, to put his actions in context, there weren't rules/laws/etc to control what he did...It is hard to judge a pioneer). However, the historic office in Truk tells of several large shipping containers that were shipped out when JC left the lagoon...they bemoan what was lost, and never seen again.

Anyway-

By the way, I had never heard the "I can teach your grandmother to suck eggs" line- but it appears in a Ren and Stimpy cartoon- not knowing what it meant, it's a pretty hilarious saying.

[tdpriest 115]

I have held Hans Hass in greater regard than Cousteau for a long time, although Cousteau was a man of his time and that should not be forgotten.

[Dilma 0]

I believe that education and training are very important factors to look after our environment while we are diving. I saw many photographers and non-photographers damaging the coral reef while shooting. Specially, new divers who focus on the picture and forget about the buoyancy, bumping against everything around them.