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Most divers would not deliberately do anything to hurt the creatures in the underwater world. If you do not know or understand the delicate natures of certain fish or animals, it is easy to hurt them. DIVER IMPACTS As a diver, you have a choice to make either a negative or a positive impact on the underwater world. When you dive, you will see divers who constantly make an effort to leave only bubbles where they have been, and take only pictures. They enjoy the underwater world and leave no evidence that they have been there. Occasionally, you will see other divers who leave their mark on the underwater world, either consciously or not. Negative Impacts When you first dive on a coral reef, it can be difficult to imagine that the hard coral structures are actually thousands of delicate animals called polyps. If you are careless about your buoyancy control, you can break off pieces of coral or rub off its protective coating. It is easy to kill or injure coral through carelessness (figure 8-22). Silt or sand landing on top of corals can also be extremely destructive (figure 8-23). The tiny polyps that live within the hard coral structure eat tiny microscopic plants and animals living in the water. If your buoyancy control is poor and you stir up large clouds of sand or silt, any sand or silt that lands on the corals can smother the polyps. You can also damage animals that live in colder waters through accidental contact. For example, a rare form of red or purple hydrocoral grows at only a few dive sites in California. It is extremely beautiful, but also delicate and slow growing. It is easy to break and you must not handle it. You can easily catch certain types of fish and other creatures that are slow moving, and this tempts some divers to handle and examine them, or to hold them while another diver photographs them. You must avoid this for several reasons. Most fish have a protective layer of slime that covers their body. When this slime is removed by human handling, it makes the fish vulnerable to harmful parasites. Also, handling a fish can damage its internal organs and kill it. Positive Impacts To have a positive effect on the environment, you must develop good personal diving skills and habits. Strive to perfect your buoyancy control so you always remain a few feet above the reef or bottom. Learn to dive NAUI Scuba Diver 188 Diving Environment FIGURE 8-21. A CARELESS DIVER CAN DESTROY HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF CORAL GROWTH IN A SINGLE DIVE. FIGURE 8-22. AVOID TOUCHING CORAL OR OTHER MARINE CREATURES.


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