AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Taking Care of What We Love

Thanks to all of you for participating here. Yes, we can change the world; one person at a time. I am working on some ideas about helping the dive operators inform divers about diving etiquette.
I have a dive buddy that I love dearly but she is a screecher and can't see how people discount what she has to say by the way she says it. Therefore I try to get people to "help" me by explaining how I would like to interact with them in the water.
My photo rig is pretty big and, above water, cumbersome. I make jokes about it. I also stress the importance of not putting their masks in the clean water bucket for cameras. What a howl they all had when, after the 1st dive, I came up and tossed my mask in the wrong bucket -- then told on myself and we all laughed about it the rest of the day.
I also take the time to tell them what I am trying to capture on film and explain my hand signals for either getting into or out of my picture. Usually about half of them ask if I will take a picture of them and send it to them. That opens the door for me to tell them what they will have to do for that to happen:
1) Get your equipment all tucked in -- no dragging it across the reef.
2) No touching anything!
3) Staying horizontal so as not to kick up stuff
4) Don't use your hands - stay tucked in
Etc. By my taking the time to talk to them they have afforded me the respect to hear what I have to say. I like to believe this helps, in some small way, make a few better divers.

not 100% on the topic here, but last week, f & i were watching some PBS or DSC show on snorkeling/diving. we tuned in halfway thru, and this moron is showing us how to snorkel a tropical reef, pointing stuff out. this idiot was touching the reef every minutes or so, and we're screaming "get off the reef, jerk", etc. i was totally amazed that an "expert" (which he obviously wasn't) would show this on TV, to teach newbies how to snorkel. we got really indignant the more we watched. so, maybe education is the key here. someone should take this up with the DM's. maybe they have a BBB of DM's. hold a meeting and agree to talk to people for a few minutes before each dive to remind us that we are to keep hands off. it is so important.

idaho, the idea of a few years off is probably a good one, ecologically speaking, but the tourism board would never go for it. therefore, it won't happen.

if that is the case, perhaps it is up to the DM's to make sure the people on thier boats behave properly, or bench them.

scuba lady, if you feel very strongly about this, contact gaz cooper. he seems a good DM, and to really care, and maybe could get the ball rolling.

y'all know i don't dive, so, as always, this just my opinion.

Idaho-Diver...surely you're not to young to remember EVER being an idiot? At times, your communication skills sound like those of a teenager pissed off at there parents!!! Cracks me up!! May i ask how old you are??? It is normally a LACK of PROPER communication that breaks up ANY kind of relationship. HHMMM, wonder if it's ever started a war?? LOL Gosh, i hope i am never that bitter about anything!! Have you done any "homework" on how bad Hurricane Mitch and Kieth tore up the reef....maybe tis Mother Nature you are unhappy with......Is anyone missing their Village Idiot in the communication department??? Sorry, couldn't help myself and Rick is going to be mad I said it!!! PS...EDUCATION is the KEY!!! Maybe one place to start is to CONTINUOUSLY keep a post on here to warn of dangers of touching the reef!!!! Scuba...you would be REALLY good at this...hint hint

[This message has been edited by rickcheri (edited 06-20-2001).]

Hello everyone,

Here are a few suggestions to some of the problems you have encountered. Ambergris Caye has a tourist guide association that every divemaster, boat captain, snorkel guide, etc etc, belong to. The president is Billy Leslie who is one of the best divemasters on the island. He is very concerned about diver safety and the safety of the reef. Their office is downstairs from the town board and you may give any complaints or concerns to them and they will follow up on it. Just let them know who you dove with and the divemasters name. He will make sure something is done about it.
On another note and I can only speak for our divemasters, but we discourage gloves at all times. If we have divers that are putting them on we explain to them the harm in touching anything and how it is to be looked at only, so they shouldn't need gloves. We had one diver that needed them because of some skin problem and after hearing what our divemaster had to say, she decided she would do without. Didn't want to be tempted to grab on or pick things up.
Just like in every business in the world you have your experienced and caring "employees" and then you have the ones that are just there for the paycheck. Unfortunately, if we don't take the time to voice our concerns to the dive shop owners or managers nothing can get done to fix it. I encourage all of my guests to voice concerns if they have any at all. We can't fix things if we don't know something is wrong and us owner, managers can not go out on every dive trip we have to ck up on our employees. We rely on our guests to help keep us informed and to help improve our services for the next trip.
Please, please if you have had an unpleasant experience or see something inappropiate you need report it back to the owner, manager or at least let the tourist guide association know about. There are more divemasters, owners, managers, out there that care about safety and preserving the reef then the ones that don't.

Help us help preserve our reef.

Dawn O'Connor
Barefoot Diving and Watersports www.barefootwatersports.net

Thanks, Dawn. I'll keep that in mind and hopefully I'll never again have reason to want to complain about a DM's behaviour. I've been diving quite a few times with that outfit and have told them that I won't dive with that particular DM again. The turtle incident was not the only reason but it was a big part of it. All the other DM's that I've been diving with have been wonderful and protective of the reef. And even of those, there are some that are still that much better than others.

It sounds like your operation is not just leading by example but educating the tourist divers as you go. Good for you!

Dawn @ Barefoot
Thanks so much for the information about the council. Is there an e-mail address where those of us who care can write? Although I have been there 4 times this is the first I've heard of it. I always see Billy Leslie and have the utmost respect for him. Not only is he a good dive master he is also humble. He has never mentioned his time spent doing this important task. The first time I was there and discovered the Lion's Club BBQ (best Flan I've ever had) I also saw that Billy was teaching the youngsters chess.
When I asked him about it the next day his response was simply something about having to do constructive and fun stuff, not just tell them not to do drugs.
For those of you who have been disappointed in your trip to Belize I would urge you to spend some quiet time talking to the locals, like Billy. As you keep reading on these message boards "Belize, it's the people!"

Thanks ScubaLady,
Very well put...I learned about shocking Turtles my last trip..had never encountered one before this trip. It's great to see many of us are still willing to lead by example rather than spout reteric (sp?) Idaho..please ease up...your words only distract from the true issue here..And I know you are very well versed in reef protection...few have as many hours as you do underwater. BTW..have you talked to Tara the online counselor? She might be able to help you with those anger issues.

Hi Dawn & Mike -
Good to hear from you on the board.
You know I loved the Hole, for it was dramatic and deep....@ 100' seeing those stalactites come into view, the blue and those sharks....Great Stuff...

But...... with my rating of 10-1 with 10 being best, how would I rate the operation I dove with????

(8) For the boat

(-3) For the dive masters- (rude and could have cared less)

(1) The dive shop itself- (They also could have cared less)

I obviously caught them on an off day..

Ken

It's not the gloves. It's the person wearing them

Gloves don't touch coral, people do.

I wear gloves on every dive. I do not touch coral. I can respect someone informing me that it is bad to touch the coral. They might be preaching to the choir, but their heart is in the right place.

BUT

I don't tell other folks what they can or cannot wear and I don't respect it when others attempt to put themselves in a positon of superiority over me to the extent that they feel that they can dictate what my kit shall or shall not consist of. I did not take my training to it's current level to be treated like that.

Yes, I do expect that the residents of a location I am visiting have every right to tell me not to damage their property. But telling folks what they can or can't or must wear, well, that is part of a mindset I see in the US that I am soon to happily leave behind.

I mean, what's the next step? A war on gloves. Manditory sentencing for glove offenders. Massive new prison building programs to house all the offenders?

I don't touch anything that is not man made, and I'm not asking anyone's permission to wear gloves or any other equipment that I think I need. But I luvz you all anyway ;-)

BRYORS,If it matters born in SLC, Utah, put a few years in Pocatello, later moved to Boise, am now in the Ketchum/Sun Vally area.