Protecting the Environment

For some reason when you give a diver a camera they forget everything they know about buoyancy control and safe diving practice.  The problem isn't that the diver is necessarily a bad diver - it's just really easy to get distracted while chasing  an elusive subject.  The problem is while doing this you may be destroying corals and sponges, or disrupting a fishes the habitat, or squishing a nudibranch.  In the end you have maimed or killed a large number of marine animals just to get one lousy picture. 

And it's not only nature that can get hurt.  On my first underwater photography dive I accidentally kneeled on a sea urchin while trying to line up a shot.  I was lucky the spines did minimal damage - sea urchins spines are toxic, ad often the wounds they cause become infected.  I got off with just a minor puncture wound, but it could have been a lot worse.  The sea is full of things which can hurt you if you if your not careful.  Coral can cause scrapes which become infected, fire coral and jellyfish have toxic stingers (called nematocysts) which can cause anything from welts to death.  Some fish have poisoned spines you could prick yourself on - some, like lionfish, are simply painful.  Others, such as scorpion fish and stonefish can be lethal.  Stingrays and dogfish have sharp spines which they can stab you with, sharks and barracuda have big teeth . . . So at the very least you need to keep an eye on the environment to protect yourself.

Here are a few tips to protect yourself and the environment:

1. Proper buoyancy is key.  Besides keeping you off of the bottom (and the things that live there), proper buoyancy control is central to positioning yourself properly for shots.

2. Avoid overweighting yourself.  One of the main problems causes of bad buoyancy is overweighting.  Extra weight has many bad effects including making it harder to achieve neutral buoyancy, makes it more difficult to maneuver, and tends to make you swim legs down.  Besides being bad for streamlining, swimming legs-down tends to cause a lot of damage due to your fins hitting things below you.

3. Avoid all contact with the bottom.  Any time you hit the bottom you risk damage to the environment.  From a photographic point-of-view you also will stir up silt, which will create more backscatter.

4. If you must sit on the bottom pick an area where you will have minimal impact on the environment.  Sandy or rocky area's are ideal.

5. Learn to swim backwards.  This will allow you to exit tight spots without having to push against the reef or otherwise contact the environment.

6. DO NOT hold your breath - EVER!!!  It is tempting to hold your breath so your bubbles do not scare the fish.  This can get you killed!  Don't forget your training - holding your breath can lead to lung damage, and even death.  TO avoid scaring fish with your bubbles breeth deeply and slowly, but never, ever, hold your breath.
   

7. Don't use cameras immediately after being certified.  Diving is hard enough to learn without having to worry about a camera.  You should avoid photography until you are comfortable with diving and have a good deal of control over your buoyancy.

Remember: leave only bubbles, take only memories (and lots of pictures too)!

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