Coral Reefs

Another diver here... though we don't get to dive that often (mostly because diving in Lake Travis doesn't excite me that much, though I should be going out there just to practice skills). It's definitely true that if someone doesn't want to dive, you shouldn't force them too. Panic underwater can be very scary (I've experienced it myself, doing my rescue training class). Perusing scubaboard, I tell my s.o. that he should be grateful that I dive , there are a lot of halves of couples diving solo. If you started in Bonaire, then you're very lucky, it's supposed to be a diver's paradise (thought I'm not a huge fan of the PADI discovery scuba classes--you might have gotten a more in-depth resort course, there are a couple of different kinds). We've definitely been lucky to dive some of the more pristine sites--but perhaps it has spoiled as well. If you want a good diving book to read, you should read "Shadow Divers" a true story about divers who found and identified an undiscovered sub off the coast of NJ (though the book confirmed that I have *no* desire to do tech diving).

Back to the subject of the thread... unfortunately, careless divers also contribute to the deterioration of coral reefs. Some countries are much more vigilant about trying to perserve their marine environments. My s.o. dove the Red Sea on both the Israeli and Jordanian side, and it was evident that the Israeli side was in much worse condition. Of course, maintaining these environments is up to both the dive boat operators and the divers.

 

My eldest son and I started at the same time. He's basically a fish, and together, we went all the way through rescue. I have to admit that I had a problem when swimming through a school bus (that was purposely sunk) at 70'......a rather unpleasant experience.

A couple of years later, my wife started with my daughter. When my daughter said she felt uncomfortable and continually ripped off her mask as soon as she reached the surface, I told my wife to forget it. The sport is just not for everyone.

 

PADI diver since 1983 but guess I didn't look after my lungs well enough had to give it all up in '91. Smoked in my younger days only 'cause a pack of ciggies cost .05 in the navy.
Anyway while sailing in our 54' ketch dove all around the Sea of Cortez and along the West Coast of Mexico down as far as Manzanilla for six years and loved every minute of it. One point tho' .... excellent underwater viewing does not necessarily require anything other than a mask and snorkel as a great percentage of plant and animal life exists within 15 feet of the surface in many areas. 8)

 

The more you dive, the better your air consumption will get. I used to have way better air consumption than my s.o., but last spring on our dive trip to Mexico, he dropped his consumption to match mine--mostly because he was there for a week alone before I got there and did a ton of diving. He tends to swim in a non-aerodynamic fashion too (head down, so he can examine critters). I do think in general that females tend to consume less air.

 

As a youngster I enjoyed snorkle diving. Once I started following a fish, unaware that the fish was taking a very slightly downward course. I didn't panic, but I was pretty scared.

Around 15 years ago I quit wearing contact lenses, as my aging eyes were no longer able to focus up close with lenses on. In effect, I am both nearsighted and farsighted at the same time.

So when I found myself stuck for a day in Cancun I was unable to take an offered snorkle dive, because I'd have been unable to see anything without my glasses.

So instead I took a ride on a submarine. They took us I-don't-know-how-far down, maybe 20 or 30 feet, to see reefs and fishes. They had divers feeding the fishes to bring them up close to the sub. Maybe I'd get contact lenses again if I was ever going to be in a place like that again.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel\";p=\"58214)</div>

Yup, Evan is right. You can get prescription dive masks--my old roommate has terrible vision and had a prescription dive mask made (it's super thick). For cheaper, you can get off-the-shelf prescription goggles, which is all you really need to snorkel. They come with lenses in preset prescriptions--my roommate ended up buying one pair at -6 and one at -8 and making two sets of goggles out of them since his eyes have slightly different prescriptions.

 

No good. My face is so narrow that most goggles won't keep the water out. I need to try several to find one that fits, and they won't let you try the prescription ones (even with non-prescription lenses) before you buy. As for off-the-shelf ones, with 5% visual acuity and lots of astigmatism, nothing off the shelf will do for me.

Contact lenses are really my only option. I wore them from about 1960 (hard lenses) until about 1989 or 1990 (semi-permeable). They say soft lenses today are much more comfortable. But I'm 1500 miles from any ocean, and not much interested in beach resorts. If I had a girlfriend who wanted to go to Cancun or Acapulco (or better yet, San Blas) I'd probably get contact lenses to be able to go snorkeling.

 

I don't dive or snorkle but do kyak. And on my last trip to Hawaii, I had a wonderful time just sitting back watching fish, sharks and sea turtles swim underneath me. And good to know that I was not harming anyone or thing by floating on top. I never put my paddle in near the little guys and just let the water carry me. Any other kyakers out there. Both cold and warm water?

 

Bonaire is without doubt the best place I've ever dived (tropically at least).

What's more, Bonaire is also living proof that you can protect the reef and have a thriving resort business. The government there has taken steps to ensure that the coral is protected from damage by boats and wastes in the water.

Bonaire would not be much of an island resort (IMO) if it wasn't for its reefs -- it's a desert island, and except for naturalists, doesn't have a lot to offer on-short (compared to other islands).

So they've done an admirable job to ensure that their livelihood, by taking care of their reef.