Scuba and Marine Conservation Misconceptions
There are some beliefs in marine conservation and scuba diving which are plainly just not true. False. Incorrect. And these views make people make incorrect decisions. So, let’s dive right in:
Artificial Reefs: Maybe Not
Artificial reefs, structures which are meant for corals to grow on, and to provide hiding places for fishes, can have a place in marine conservation. They needs a thorough assessment of the situation by an expert to work.
Just dumping tons of “reef domes”, metal pyramids, old tires ect ect into the ocean in order to “save the ocean” is more akin to littering on a large scale. It’s either pointless, or it destroys seagrass and sand/soft bottom habitats. Don’t do it. More details are here:
Check out this video, a documentary about the “muck”/soft bottom habitats which shows how biodiverse and valuable “barren sand” is:
Flash is Okay
AND: No, flash photography does not kill seahorses and other small critters. Scientists have actually tested this, in two different studies. The seahorses, and a few other critters, where just fine. There is still a crazy number of underwater photographers who anthropomorphizes seahorses and wants to save them by photographing them without strobes. I believe in the UK it’s actually illegal to photograph them? Bizarre and superstitious! More about the issue here:
Sunscreen is not the Problem
There is a whole industry making “reef safe sunscreen”. But is sunscreen actually harmful to corals in the ocean?
Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University, and one of Australia’s top coral biologists, thinks not. His article from a few years back says:
… there is actually no direct evidence to demonstrate that bleaching due to global heating is exacerbated by sunscreen pollutants.
I agree. There are actually quite a few scientific papers how the components in sunscreen harm coral polyps, but they are all done in small aquaria, often with unrealistic high concentrations of sunscreen. No one has shown that an actual coral reef in the ocean declined due to sunscreens. There is new research going on in this field, but the whole “buy expensive reef safe sunscreen” story seems like a fad to me. If there is a good, convincing new study out which I missed, I would like to hear about it.
