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Marine Life & Conservation

12 steps to being an eco diver

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For most divers, I think we feel pretty privileged to get to see and enjoy the amazing underwater world. As the plight of our oceans and coral reefs becomes more prominent in the news and on social media, often divers find ourselves probably a bit more aware of the value of the life beneath the waves and the issues affecting it. Therefore, it can be quite distressing when we learn that not all of the negative impacts on coral reefs are from large scale human impacts like climate change and overfishing, but that in some areas, lots of damage comes directly from divers and diving tourism, particularly in those areas that experience a high density of divers year round.

So, how do we divers, who love our sport and the underwater world, overcome the negative impacts and turn our actions into positives?

Here’s a list of 12 easy things we can do to minimise our impact:

1. Be choosy about your dive centre

There are lots of dive centres out there going above and beyond to be green, teaching and supporting good dive practices and minimise their environmental impact. A little research before hand and you can find centres that give marine biology talks, do beach cleans and work on an environmentally-friendly basis. Generally I find I have a better time and get more from holidays like this. The Green Fins website is pretty helpful.

2. Buoyancy


Buoyancy is massively important for both enjoying the dive, improving air consumption and also not trashing the environment you are diving in. Practice makes perfect, so you are never too good to try and improve; skills get rusty after a break even for experienced divers. There are lots of places offering courses specifically designed to improve buoyancy, so it’s a great excuse for more diving!

3. Do not touch anything

There may be an odd occasion you need to hold onto a rock if you’ve just run into a strong current or use a finger to stabilise yourself for a moment in an emergency. If you can pick a bit of rock without growth or a bit of dead coral to hold onto, this is best.

However if you are regularly holding onto stuff or bouncing off the bottom, then it’s time to go back to basics and get your buoyancy under control. If not for the sake of the environment, but yourself, particularly when you realise you just grabbed hold of a stonefish…

4. Reef safe sun screen


On a tropical dive holiday, chances are you will be using sunscreen to avoid sunburn and the associated health risks and pain that come with it. Many sunscreens contain oxybenzone, which is very bad news for reefs, as it kills coral. Since we know we will be in the water and some of the sunscreen will be washed off, by using a reef safe sunscreen, we ensure our diving activity doesn’t pollute the water for the corals we are there to see! For a list of Reef Safe Sunscreens click here! You could even forego the sunscreen entirely and wear a sun hat and UV-protective clothing instead.

5. Reusable water bottle

Keeping hydrated is a must in diving as hydrated divers are less likely to get the bends or suffer heat related issues in hot climates. By using a reusable water bottle, you can reduce the amount of single-use plastic entering the environment. Having your dive centre refill your own bottle it also often works our cheaper than buying bottled water from the shops.

6. Do not tip bad guiding

If your dive guide moved that frogfish/seahorse for you to get a photo, ask them not to touch or move anything. A photo is never worth killing something by stressing it out. If they guided you deeper than the original dive plan to show you something, or deeper than you are qualified/ comfortable going, ask to stick to the dive plan next time. Plan the dive, dive the plan. Ultimately you are responsible for your dive and your safety. Guides do what they think will make customers happy because happy divers tip. If your guide is acting like a cowboy, it’s probably because previous divers have rewarded this behaviour.

7. If you are a photographer, remember your surroundings


Never move anything, try not to touch coral or lie on the bottom. If you need to hold onto something to get your photo, then it’s back to work on your buoyancy before going in the water with a camera! Often taking a few well planned shots is best. Many creatures, such as seahorses are sensitive to light, so taking a few good photos and moving on ensures they are not permanently blinded by multiple strobe flashes. Also spare a thought for others in the dive group, by sharing the view of a nice critter, it reduces the likelihood of lots of divers crowding one spot and inevitably someone kicking something, causing damage and kicking up sand and silt.

8. Use spit, rather than washing up liquid or shampoo


There are a few biodegradable defog options out there for anyone who’s spit is not very effective at keeping their mask fog free, but for the majority of people spit works really well! It’s free, it doesn’t need time to break down to do no harm to the environment and you always have it with you!

9. Get involved in reef surveys or clean-ups


One of the absolute best ways to be sure you are having a positive impact is to give up some of your time to help clean up an area. Many dive centres and organisations will very gladly accept your help on a local beach clean or dive clean up. If you know your fish and coral you can also help by taking part in reef surveys, such as Seasearch, REEF, Reef Check or Coral Watch. Many eco dive centres teach these courses if you would like to hone your underwater ID skills and help gather data for science and conservation.

10. Think about your impact on land

Even though many of us wish we could live underwater sometimes, we do spend the majority of time on land and here we can make a huge difference that will help all environments and our oceans. We can reduce our dependence on single – use plastics that may end up in the ocean, by using reusable water bottles, coffee cups, straws and bags made from recyclable plastics or even better, alternatives like bamboo. Also, have a think about where you stay when on dive holidays, does the hotel try to avoid single use plastics? Do they recycle? What happens to the waste water? Again, with a little research good, affordable eco options can be found for accommodation. It’s always good to know you won’t be diving in water that your waste is going into!

11. Support initiatives to clean up the oceans

There are many great organisations out there attempting to make a difference. We can join charities like Marine Conservation Society, or buy products from clean up programmes. Fourth Element have a new swimwear range made from ghost netting and there are some very good looking flip flops made from recycled ocean plastics. New things are coming on the market all the time, they look good and are a great example of reusing and recycling. Have a search for what is going on near you and how you can support the movement.

12. Try not to eat the seafood you have just been diving with! (The invasive Caribbean lionfish aside).

If you were wondering why there weren’t as many fish as the last time you dived here, and you then go and order a reef fish for lunch at the hotel…you may have found your answer! For a guide on what is sustainable on most menu’s and what to avoid click here. For recipes for cooking the delicious and invasive Caribbean Lionfish, click here!


For more from CJ and Mike please visit their website here.

CJ and Mike are dive instructors who have travelled all over the world pursuing their passion for the underwater world. CJ is a PADI MI and DSAT Trimix instructor with a degree in Conservation biology and ecology, who has been diving for 15 years. She loves looking for critters and pointing them out for Mike to photograph. Mike is a PADI MSDT who got back into diving in 2010. He enjoys practicing underwater photography and exploring new and exciting dive locales, occasionally with more than one tank. Follow more of their diving adventures at www.facebook.com/bimbleintheblue.

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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