Don't Harass the Marine Life while Diving!!!
Jon Go
I just feel very frustrated regarding a certain incident that occured
while I was diving at the Marine Sanctuary in front of Dive and Trek
Resort near Lemery, Batangas in the Philippines. It goes like this:
Giant Clams are already extinct in the wild at the Batangas area. What
the local scientist and eco-friends do is grow them someplace where they
are really protected and then transport/transplant the mature ones to
marine sanctuaries to propagate the species.
During my dive, we came upon a very stressed giant clam whose muscles
have receeded far from the edges of its shell. This clam was so weak
that it can't/won't close its shell anymore when our shadow passed over
it. My DM was very distressed too. She had been part of the nature
conservation group that is trying to reintroduce the giant clam back
into the wild. This giant clam was already reproductively mature.
Closer examination reveals that this wasn't a natural thing. The clam
had been sliced at the bottom of its shell!
She was furious at the DMs who allow their divers to harass the wild
life just for fun. There were times thin bamboo sticks were found
wedged in the giant clam's shells too.
The last group of divers to go to that area were the group that came
from a resort that exclusively services Koreans. Now although that is
circumstancial evidence, that resort has been caught in the act lots of
times allowing divers to do those things. I hope a lawsuit against that
resort will make it clean up its act.
This message isn't a message against Koreans. Feel free to read any
nationality into it. All I'm asking if you're with such a group,
prevent them from harassing or hurting the local marine life. Talk
about how rare these marine creatures are. Or even if they're not rare,
tell them that we are the guests in this underwater kingdom and we
should have more respect for its inhabitants. If they're really
malicious bullies, turn them in. If you can't, don't dive with them
again and tell all your friends who are more respectful of nature to
avoid joining their group. Refuse to patronize DMs and resorts who
allow these things to happen. Hopefully the blacklist will convince the
bullies the error of their ways and drive the resorts and DMs who
condone them out of business.
That's my piece. If you're Korean and feel racially slighted, read the
message again. If you're not Korean, it doesn't mean that it's not
talking about you.
Jon
Bowmouth
environment including "pro's".
Sad but true.
Jon Go <fatm...@pacific.net.ph> wrote in message
news:3C312E7C...@pacific.net.ph...