Two Eco-Friendly Tips for Scuba Diving Key West
We love sharing our beautiful waters, and coral reef gardens with our guests of Key West, but we also care about the condition our coral is in as well. It can takes a second to destroy years worth of coral growth, so we want everyone we bring out for a scuba diving tripin Key West waters to be prepared and educated on the issues of treating our marine wildlife and ecosystem kindly, by doing the two following tips.
Don't Take More Than You Brought In
A coral reef is not a souvenir shop, nor is it a pet shop. Do not break off little bits of the reef, don't take loose bits that might have already been broken off, and don't try to catch sea life for food or your fish tank at home. To many people, these rules seem obvious, but for people just experiencing coral reefs for the first time -- or who notice the abundance of fish and figure one won't be missed -- learning these rules is imperative.
Unfortunately, coral grows so slowly that it is unsuitable as a souvenir. There really is no way to get coral without causing some nasty issues for a reef. You'd be much better off investing in a camera that allows you to take underwater pictures instead of buying that colorful hunk of coral in a gift shop.
Take More Than You Brought In
The one exception to the rule about not taking anything from a reef is litter. It's not uncommon to find that someone on a boat has tossed trash overboard rather than holding onto it until they got back to the harbor. Clearing floating litter is easy to do, but if you see something resting on the reef, notify a tour guide before trying to remove the litter. If the item has gotten stuck, you could do more damage to the reef than the litter is doing just by sitting there.
As always, be aware of your surroundings as you chase after litter. Don't stray too far from the boat, and don't dive down to depths that you're not accustomed to. Depth perception in water is tricky, and you can easily end up at a depth that would result in the bends if you came back up too quickly.