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Ocean
Conservation
By Heather Morale:
It has been some time now since I spotted my first sea horse
underwater while scuba diving in Cozumel. I pulled out a point
and shoot camera I had tucked away in my BC pocket. As I neared
closer for a shot of the sea horse our image was captured by
another diver. That photo has since become a favorite of mine.
After the dive I chattered excitedly about the experience. The
dive boat's Captain overheard me. He shared a sad story about sea
horses with me that day, and now I would like to briefly share
it with you.
The boat's Captain, I’ll call him Miguel, grew up near the ocean
in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. As a young boy Miguel
sometime made money by collecting star fish and sea horses for a
local merchant who turned their dried bodies into souvenirs to be sold at
a local bazaar. At that time the creatures were abundant and easy
picking. When Miguel became a little older, the merchant taught
him to scuba dive and Miguel went on to collect Black Coral.
This, too, was turned into souvenirs to be sold to local tourists.
Again, back then, the Black Coral forests were abundant and
plentiful.
Now a man, Miguel looks back at his days as a child collecting
sea creatures for souvenirs with regret. In his lifetime he has
witnessed the decline of the creatures he once collected and
even though Black Coral can still be found it’s not in its one-time abundance.
The same can be said for star fish and sea horses.
Miguel owns his own boat and has created a career for himself
with that boat. He enjoys this lifestyle and hopes it can be a
sustainable one. For his part now, Miguel supports the Mexican
Government's conservation initiatives and tries to impart a bit
of education to all that board his vessel.
Miguel’s story left a strong impression that still touches me
today. As a Biologist and a Divemaster I value ocean
conservation education, and I would like to share what I have
learned with you. To do so I have entered into an educational
partnership with Beautiful Oceans.
Beautiful Oceans is a premier coral reef ecotourism company
that offers the finest coral reef biology courses for families,
snorkelers and scuba divers. Their Coral Reef Courses add fun to
your in-water experience by providing a comprehensive
understanding of coral reef organisms, their behavior, and the
ecosystem in which they live.
For more information about ocean conservation or about how to
participate in a Beautiful Oceans course, e-mail me at:
heather@epicscubadiving.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Heather Morale
Divemaster |
