<p align="center"><strong>Effects from Scuba Diving on the Coral Reef</strong></p>
<p align="right"><strong>MBIO 3750-Coral Reefs </strong></p>
<p align="right"><strong>Claudia Patino Tarlow</strong></p>
<p align="right"><strong>November 15, 2006</strong></p>
<strong>            </strong>Diving on<strong> </strong>coral reefs is spectacular and is an increasing element of tourism in the tropics. Unfortunately, divers contribute to the destruction of this fragile resource that they have come to enjoy.

Researchers have recently reported negative impact caused by skin and scuba divers on corals reefs. In a study conducted at a dive resort located at the southern tip ofEgyptit was found that divers of all types have been trampling coral reefs (Hawkins &amp; Roberts, 1993). This damage is causing by fins, knees and equipment gauges. Many times divers can significantly damage coral reefs by kicking the fins hard. Coral are very fragile and easy to break.  Apart from contact with living substrates, fin kicks can re-suspend sediment, which then settles on whatever substrate is in the area, including corals (Internet 2). Divers by using their fins easily broke the coral fragments and killed the coral.

There are studies on recreational scuba divers that have been affecting coral reefs in the islandof Bonaire.  In 1991 when the reefs were facing rapidly increased numbers of divers (Hawkins, 1993).  Tourist divers that affected coral and other invertebrate communities regularly fed the fish in Bonaire. There are other impacts that affected the   corals in Bonaire, coral disease outbreaks and coral bleaching which have affected the principal massive coral species <em>Montastraea annularis</em> (Woodley, 1997). The problems that may have contributed to the changes in coral communities were much greater at dive sites than less-use areas.

In some marine parks, the activity of feeding fish has already been banned because of its affect on the coral reef communities (SabaMarineParkin Netherlands Antilles and Ras Mohammed Park inEgypt(Internet 1).

There was a big controversy about over feeding fish amongst the people ofBonaire. Fish feeding may possibly change the natural composition in the reef community, having a negative impact on some fish populations and strengthening other fish populations of more aggressive fish. This may have an affect on the corals and the other invertebrate communities (Pence, 1997).

Diving is indirectly a cause of serious loss to the massive coral covers and it may be considered to be a high risk impact to the coral ecology as a whole. One way of reducing damage is to educate divers. It is important that divers understand how important coral reefs are to our environment and that the coral reef provides more than beauty and dive attractions such as the life supporting properties they offer to fish, humans and land, coastal defense and medical and constructional elements they provide.         Places that have high dive tourism should have videos that show divers a better way to kick their fins. One study was done inSt Luciawhere divers were shown the difference of live reef cover and non-living substrate, such as rock and dead coral (Roberts, 2004). Divers were educated for 10 minutes about coral reefs and those who did not see the video were more likely to contact the reef and break the coral. To help moderate these impacts divers can get more education. These programs need to be actively managed more with stricter guidelines in place for divers and tighter supervision in the areas that have high dive tourism. They include underwater intervention from dive guides and companies to educate divers about their contact with the reef, teaching them by instructing them to keep fins and their equipment clear of the reef, and extra vigilance in prohibiting fish feeding in coral communities.

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<p align="center"><strong>Literature Cited</strong></p>
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Hawkins, J.P., and C.M. Roberts. 1997. Estimating the carrying capacity of coral reefs                               from scuba diving. Pages 1923 – 1926 in proceeding of the eight international coral reef symposiums, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,Balboa,Panama.

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Hawkins, J.P., and C.M. Roberts, and S. white. 1993. Effects of recreational scuba diving     on aCaribbeancoral reef. Report.SabaMarinePark,Saba,NetherlandsAntilles.

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Roberts, L., Harriott, V.J., 1994. Recreational scuba diving and its potential for environmental impact in a marine reserve. In:Bellwood, O., Choat, H., Saxena, N. (Eds.), Recent Advances in Marine Science and Technology 1994.JamesCookUniversityof NorthQueensland,Townsville,Australia, pp. 695–704.

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Julie P. Hawkins, Callum M. Roberts.  2003. Effects of Recreational Scuba Diving on                   Coral Reefs: Trampling on Reef-Flat Communities. <em>Journal of Applied Ecology</em>, Vol. 30, No. 1 (1993), pp. 25-30

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Woodley, J. D., K. De Meyer, P. Bush, G. Ebanks-Petrie,J. Garzon-Ferreira, E. Klein, L.               P. J. J. Pors, and C. M. Wilson. 1997. Status of corals reefs in the south central            Caribbean. Pages 357-362, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,Balboa,Panama.

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Spalding, M.D (2004). <span style="text-decoration: underline;">A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean.</span>University of                               California Press,Berkeley,USA.

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Internet 1:  <a href="http://www.ymcascuba.org/">http://www.ymcascuba.org/</a>

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Internet 2: <a href="http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/sensitive/coral.htm">http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/sensitive/coral.htm</a>

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Internet 3: <a href="http://www.coris.noaa.gov/">http://www.coris.noaa.gov/</a>

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