Why you shouldn't feed or touch marine life...

Lonely squid in a big ocean

Diving everyday I see some of the most amazing things, sharks, turtles, eels and a number of itsy bitsy teeny things that not many people take notice of; but we are strangers in their world...at least we should be.

There are so many things changing within the ocean from temperature rises, pollution, over fishing and so on, that scientists are even seeing animals adapting to different environments and eating species they normally wouldn't (google sealion eats sunfish).

Hawksbill turtle a bit unsure about my intentions. 

I'm not going to lie, there have been numerous occasions I've been right over top of a sea turtle watching it chomp away at coral and I've thought 'just a little touch'...'it won't hurt'.... but then why?

What will I gain from touching the turtle?
Will I scare it away or make it have a bad day?
If I touch it, will it be worth it?
Is being this close to an amazing animal and observing it's behaviour not enough?

I can still say I've never touched one.

Where I work in Cozumel, Mexico, we are lucky that where we dive is all a Marine Park area. The marine park rules include no fishing, no touching or feeding, no knives and no gloves; but there's always somebody who wants to break the rules.

One of my favourite things to see underwater. Purple Crowned Sea Goddess, Nudibranch. 

I think one of the worst inventions is the gopro (wait, wait, wait, let me explain). First of all, I have one, so it is not the item itself I have a problem with. It is the people who use them without working on their skills first.
I've seen people with 4 dives to 4000 dives and I can tell you, it doesn't matter how much experience you have if you don't put effort in to improve yourself. Before you even consider bringing a camera on the dive you should be able to complete dives without touching anything, either with hands or fins, and be able to maintain neutral buoyancy throughout a dive. Too many times I see people touching corals or chasing animals for the 'perfect shot' and honestly, not many photos turn out great anyway. The animals and the coral come first. Always.

A customer snapped this picture of me before we jumped in! 

At the pier I also see people sneaking water bottles filled with bread to feed to the fish. Feeding marine life means animals begin to associate people with food. I have seen this first hand with nurse sharks. I've seen a nurse shark harassing a diver on a dive who was holding a spear for lion fish hunting. Obviously this shark has associated people carrying this item with a meal; this particular time though, the diver did not have a fish.
Animals generally get their sources of food from multiple areas, by feeding them, they are only receiving it from one source interrupts their natural feeding cycles. By affecting their natural feeding behaviours, it can destabilize multiple ecological relationships. Also, I don't know about you but I haven't seen too many fish go to the supermarket for a loaf of bread. Processed wheat probably isn't the best thing for a marine animals digestive system.

Take selfies, don't touch :)

I have no idea why so many people have such little respect for something that covers most of the earths surface, that supports our life. Just remember, we are guests in the under water world....and uninvited ones at that.

*Whilst I feel on the fence about fishing, I support the fishing and hunting for lionfish, an extremely invasive fish in all international waters. 

Night Dive in Cozumel

Caribbean Reef Octopus

I remember when I first started diving. I did a Discover Scuba Diving course in Indonesia when I was on vacation with a friend. I was hooked immediately after seeing all of the different colour fish and corals. I got my Open Water certification at home in Australia but wasn't very confident. In fact I had butterflies in my stomach before each dive, it was more of a personal challenge I had set myself. I never dreamed of ever doing a night dive!!

Spot-Fin Porcupinefish

I have only done night dives in Jamaica and in Mexico, both in the places I have worked. Here in Cozumel I have been blown away with the dives. We see a ridiculous number of lobsters and crabs. Moray eels come out to feed, I know they sound creepy, but they are fine. Every now and then you'll see turtles sleeping or a nurse shark swimming around. I have a weakness for the small things, nudibranchs, pipefish, pipehorses etc. and recently the night dives have been like gold for them! 

Spotted Moray Eel.

Caribbean Reef Squid pretending he's something else...

Last week, I found the first black flatworm here that I'd ever seen. The next night dive I did I saw 2! I also loooove seeing baby scorpion fish, everyone calls them ugly, but I have a soft spot for the scorpion fish, especially their babies. The star of a night dive though, is the octopus! No matter how many times you see one, you never get sick of them. I have just got home from a night dive where we saw about 6 octopus, including the smallest one I've ever seen! 

The coral spawning, the cloud of 'smoke'...

The black flatworm!

Tonight's night dive was possibly my last in Cozumel. I leave for Jamaica in a week. If plans work out I will be heading home to Australia with my fiance'. If not we will return to Cozumel. 

If anyone is ever considering doing a night dive, I definitely recommend Cozumel! 

Sculptured Slipper Lobster..and a banded butterfly fish.

Shhhh Hawksbill Turtle sleeping...

*photos compliments of Dean and Janine, a wonderful couple on a night dive with me*

Grateful

As a scuba diving instructor I am incredibly lucky. I get to travel the world and work in different places. I see some of the most amazing animals underneath the water that continue to surprise me. I get to meet people from all over the world, not just as diving clients but as coworkers. Of course like any job it is not all sunshine and rainbows, the pay is not the best, it can be extremely tiring and of course different people can turn it into a bad day or week. 

We are in the middle of Spring Break; as Mexico is a very popular tourist destination, particularly for Americans, we are super busy. My boss has given me the day off to recover from a bit of sickness and I can't help but reflect on my work. 

Tracy, Jason and Me! I love these two! 

MERMAIDS! Linda, Kait and Carrie for a fabulous week or two of diving.

An extremely fun group of people! A couple of generous people gave me a regulator, I will never forget. 

Me and Leslie for her 300th dive!

I am posting this in appreciation for those people who are kind and pure. I have just spent the last week with an incredible group of people from different parts of the states. They were so kind, thoughtful and spoke so highly of me I couldn't be more grateful. Of course these are not the only ones. I have been lucky to have a group or a few individuals who I have really clicked with during their stay, some of whom I have emails and keep in contact, and some who I will probably never see again. Now I have never been one for goodbyes, infact I really suck at them, so I felt I should say this. Sometimes, you will have no idea the impact or impression you have left on someone. I can clearly say that I have met many people who have had such a great impact on me, that might not even know it. For these people I am grateful.