EvilOtter 41 Posted March 6 Summer diving in Roatán is always very special. It is a time when massive schools of baitfish, locally known as silversides, aggregate in caverns, wrecks and all manner of places to spawn. Their murmurations are absolutely hypnotic and are reminiscent of fireworks being set off. I can never get enough of their incredible spectacle. During this one-week trip in June 2022, we had the great fortune to dive the Dolphin's Den with our friends at Dive Pangea in Camp Bay. We also joined Reef Gliders in West End for a memorable excursion to the Seamounts of Cayos Cochinos. The rest of the week was spent with our good friends at Barefoot Divers hitting up many of our favourite sites such as D2T, Cemetary Wall, Mary's Place, Mr. Bud and the Menagerie to name a few. All underwater video was shot on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 in an Ikelite housing. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrchen911 7 Posted March 6 Those are very sad statistics in the closing seconds 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EvilOtter 41 Posted March 9 Thank you very much, @tobyone! @mrchen911 I agree. Unfortunately, the the stats are cited from reputable sources. We have been diving Roatán for about eight years and also own a home here. Over that time, we have seen first-hand the decline in reef health, principally due to stony coral tissue loss disease but also due to other factors such as pollution. overfishing and irresponsible land-use. I don’t take it for granted that the reeds will be around forever. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LarryHallas 44 Posted March 10 15 hours ago, EvilOtter said: Thank you very much, @tobyone! @mrchen911 I agree. Unfortunately, the the stats are cited from reputable sources. We have been diving Roatán for about eight years and also own a home here. Over that time, we have seen first-hand the decline in reef health, principally due to stony coral tissue loss disease but also due to other factors such as pollution. overfishing and irresponsible land-use. I don’t take it for granted that the reeds will be around forever. We have the same decline in the barrier reef along the island I live about 100 miles north of you on Ambergris Caye, Belize. In just the 2 years that I have lived here the fish populations are almost half, there are no hard corals (staghorn and elkhorn), and the brain corals are dying. Just breaks my heart! Don’t get me wrong, the Belize Barrier Reef is still a beautiful sight and well worth the visit, but it won’t last unless it is preserved. I agree, the main culprit is pollution, runoff, mismanaged sewage / septic, overfishing, and coastal development. Belize has 2 small marine parks at each end of the island, and some larger marine parks out at the 3 coral atolls. I am trying to organize local dive operators and businesses to promote the creation of a marine park along the entire length of both islands, but it is an uphill battle with the local government and it would decimate the fishermen. I believe underwater photographers and videographers are ambassadors for the ocean. We are the visual storytellers of the oceans, and our images can be used to campaign for it’s protection. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
