Introduction!

When one thinks of a coral reef, what do they think of?  Beautiful, vibrant coral exploding with colour surrounded by pristine blue water and spectacular sea life.  Schools of fish chasing one another through a living, growing maze.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the case anymore for many of the reefs around the world.  Our reefs are being destroyed at an alarming rate.  The major culprit is global warming but reefs are also being destroyed from direct contact by scuba divers.  Once healthy living reefs and being killed off, trampled and polluted by humans.  This blog will be investigating the impact that recreational scuba diving has on coral reefs.

Many people don’t think that scuba diving has any impact on coral reefs.  I had an argument on the subject with one of my roommate the other night, which is what inspired me to write my blog about it.  She said that scuba divers don’t harm the reefs, they simply look at them.  They take in the beautiful colours and exotic fish while harmlessly floating overhead, not disturbing a single sea creature from its daily routine.  I asked her how many times she’s been scuba diving.  Her reply was 0.  I’ve been scuba diving probably two dozen times and while I will admit many diving companies have strict rules and take precautions not to harm the reefs or disturb the marine life, it still happens, a lot. 

Throughout this blog I will tell my first hand experience of reef destruction around the world.  I will also include facts and figures to back up my argument and paint a picture of what we are really doing to our reefs. 

Thanks for reading my blog, I hope you stay tuned for the next installment!