Factors Caused By Recreational Scuba Diving And Snorkeling Industries

Tourism in Australia has evolved over the years and continues to increase to this day, however it is the effects that tourists have the ability to place on the Southern Great Barrier Reef which are potentially threatening for, not only the reef of lady Elliot Island, however, the corals surrounding it. “International visitations within Australia alone reached 3.9 million visitors within the first 7 months of 2014, which was an increase of approximately 9.5%, a number which continues to rise” (Tourism Australia, 2015). However, with this increasing number, comes possible damaging effects to the surrounding reefs of Lady Elliot Island, possibly leading to the excessive damage of corals due to activities and infrastructure requirements

Consisting of less than 1% of the world oceans, the coral reefs are ancient animals comprising of thin calcium carbonate deposits within the photic layer. Aside from its biologically diverse ecosystems, coral reefs are major source of food for millions and provides habitats and nursery areas for many marine organisms. Coral reefs also act as a physical buffer to protect the coastlines from tropical storms and erosion. In addition, many local communities rely on coral reefs to generate an income through activities such as fishing and diving. However, 75% of the coral reefs are under threat from induced impacts of humans and climate change (Burke, et al., 2011). This essay looks at the human impacts constantly being inflicted on coral reefs.

Irreversible destruction is occurring to our coral reef system. The majority of this destruction is caused by the human race. It is important that the people of the world come together to determine how to keep our precious resources in tact for future generations.

Furthermore, extraction of building materials such as sand affects coral reefs, mangroves, and hinterland forests, leading to erosion and destruction of habitats. Overbuilding and extensive paving of shorelines can result in destruction of habitats and disruption of land-sea connections such as sea-turtle nesting spots. Coral reefs are especially fragile marine ecosystems and are suffering worldwide from reef-based tourism developments. Evidence suggests a variety of impacts to coastline ecosystems result from shoreline development, increased sediments in the water, trampling by tourists and divers, ship groundings, pollution from sewage, overfishing, and fishing with poisons and explosives that destroy coral

The United States Navy Diving Manual contains a wealth of information about diving from the history of diving to underwater physics and physiology. Start by browsing the U.S. Navy Diving Manual (located within the weekly readings) and then post a response to the following questions:

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, coral reefs contribute to 200 million jobs while providing food for over a billion global citizens. The reefs are more than just something one frequents while on a cruise ship or vacation, they are an integral part of our world economy (NOAA). As a subsidiary office to the US Department of Commerce, the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (NCRCP) aims to "make the most of limited resources and to have the largest impact to reverse general declines in coral reef health" (NOAA). Whether a student doing research, an environmental activist looking to volunteer, or a graduate seeking employment the NCRCP website provides a vast database of evidence and educational resources that

The Great Barrier Reef is a vast organic structure that has existed longer than man. It has always been present underneath the water surface near the coast of Australia, harboring many different types of sea creatures. Over the past few decades, the reef has slowly been dying. Humans have been negatively affecting it for a while now, although they may not have known it at that time. We, as humans, have the duty to correct our mistake and take responsibility for our actions by doing everything in our power to nourish and tend to the reef. Governments all across the globe have come together to collaborate and discuss what they can do to save the reef from extinction. Many solutions have been talked about and some have been put into place, but the effects of these won’t be seen until a number of years later. We must wait and hope that our ignorance up until this point won’t destroy an iconic landmark before we can try and save it.

Conservationists around the world are putting their best foot forward in an attempt to save the coral reefs. Coral reefs today are at a high risk of damage because of all the attention drawn to them by tourists. There are some islands that make all their money through tourism and exploiting the coral reefs, giving snorkel and scuba diving trips to guests that have traveled from around the world. Many people travel to these places with amazing under water worlds and they come extremely uneducated about these beautiful masterpieces. Tourists will drop their anchors on top of corals and drive their boats over corals, causing severe damage that will take the coral years and years to replenish. There are always new ways to enhance the lives of the

Coral reef ecosystems around the globe are threatened by human interferences and climate change. This has led to many scientists conducting studies on global coral reef ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the cause and effects of coral reef damage. In both Hodgson’s (1999) and Carpenter et al.’s (2008) studies, they are aware of the continuous degradation of global coral reef ecosystems. Hodgson's study involved conducting a survey on global coral reef ecosystems to see whether human actions were affecting the health of supposed pristine Coral reefs. Carpenter et al. incorporated Hodgson’s study into a compiled study about the possible extinction of reef building corals due to climate change and anthropogenic effects. Carpenter’s

The Great Barrier Reef is unique in that no other World Heritage Site plays host to such a large biodiversity. UNESCO notes that the reef is “of enormous scientific and intrinsic importance, and it also contains a significant number of threatened species.” Despite its designation, however, the site is threated by a variety of pressures, both natural and man-made. Starfish outbreaks, cyclones, and other extreme weather events are all counted, as well as human tourism and coastal developments. Thankfully, due to the sites extensive size and varying ecosystems, the reef and its inhabitants retain a great capacity to recover from, and withstand, ongoing

The objective of the study was to determine whether individuals could become desensitized to the dive response and increase dive time at colder temperatures. In this experiment, the two conditions for each dive involved performing the dive in both hot and cold water. Before the dive, the participant’s blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate were taken. During the dive, the participant’s blood pressure, heart rate and dive time were monitored. After the dive, the blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate were measured again. This protocol was repeated for a total of five weeks with five participants. As seen in Figure 1, the dive time was shorter consistently through the five weeks for the cold dive when compared to the warm dive.

Tourism has a large impact on the reef system at Lady Musgrave Island with the millions of people who have and will visit the island at one point in their life. These results did not give an accurate picture as there were many other parts of the reef that weren’t included in these results. Due to this, there could have been more coral impacts or more animals surrounding the reef in other areas that were not included in these results collected. Therefore, the reef ecosystem creates many positive effects for humans and animals alike. However, it can be ruined easily with a simple touch or by leaving waste behind that could damage the reef or hurt the animals living in that

My experience with diving taught me to have faith in myself and my leaders. The only obstacle hindering my success is my personal mindset. Now, when faced with a difficult task, be it an academic challenge, physical challenge, or moral dilemma, I must trust in who I am. I have put forth hours of hard work and dedication, and know what it takes to arrive at a solution. In any situation I have mentors to guide me and teammates or classmates who will support me. Most importantly, I have the work ethic and positive attitude to see a challenge to its

Evidently, the challenge is creating an attractive artificial reef, with an abundance of fish. This creates an opportunity for alternate dive programs that are developed specifically to enhance the attractiveness, and marine life populations. Alternative dive programs can recruit experienced divers for artificial reef development, citizen science projects, fish population studies, or developed with the feedback of experienced divers, ensuring their interest. Additionally, for new and novice divers, dive programs can be developed to: “(1) transfer all introductory courses and in-training dives to artificial reef sites, (2) reinforce the environmental education of divers through the provision of educational materials positioned on artificial reefs, and (3) use more ‘in-depth’ conservation education dive briefings” (Kirkbride-Smith, Wheeler, and Johnson 9). To illustrate, let us consider a dive in which two experienced divers, one of which being the author, are seeking advanced scuba certifications. This certification takes place within 50 yards of dive operation and requires two consecutive dives, the first of which exhausts the divers’ air supplies while the second dive leaves thirty minutes of air. This presents an opportunity, in which the instructor presents an artificial reef he has established with a tire, rocks,

However, many fisherman are unable to catch as many fish as they used to, so they are increasingly using cyanide and dynamite in fishing, which further degrades the coral reef ecosystem.[6] This perpetuation of bad habits simply leads to the further decline of coral reefs and therefore perpetuating the problem. One solution to stopping this cycle is to educate the local community about why conservation of marine spaces that include coral reefs is important.[7] Once the local communities understand the personal stakes at risk then they will actually fight to preserve the reefs. Conserving coral reefs has many economic, social, and ecological benefits, not only for the people who live on these islands, but for people throughout the world as well.