While those vibrant coral reefs may be stunning to look at and behold with the eyes, you should do well to adhere to the old adage, “look but don’t touch.” Sadly, the damage inflicted to these beautiful and natural works of art are startling when you learn that over 35 million acres of these coral reefs have been damaged or destroyed by the hands of touchy feely scuba divers. In fact, while coral reefs are being protected by select nations worldwide, these efforts have not been enough to curtail the fast destruction of the coral reefs.
Already being fragile by nature, coral reefs are home to an array of different sea life. Among their crevices and growths you can find many fish, sea anemones, and other crustaceans who have made their homes there. But the coral is a living entity itself, and while just like any other life form it grows over time, but the rate at which it does so is quite slow. In fact, it takes hundreds and thousands of years for the coral reefs to create the intricate networks we see today. Each year a coral reef may only add a mere 5 millimetres to itself, and that can be quickly ruined by a human hand or accidental kick.
Coral reefs are most notably being destroyed by snorkellers looking to take home a bit of the splendours of the ocean with them, unknowing boaters who break the reefs when setting down their anchors, and by those who accidentally may tread on or kick them. Along with these threats, there is also pollution with harsh chemicals, fertilizers, sewage, and toxic wastes that when dumped into the sea kill the coral reefs along with the other sea life.
So what can we environmentally snorkellers and scuba divers do to preserve what precious coral reefs we still have today? Well the simply answer is to not touch the reefs and be careful not to get too close and accidentally kick their formations. But along with this, if your are boating be certain that you aren’t dropping your anchor onto the precious coral below. Further, there are plenty of organisations and causes you can support to help protect this sea life. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation is one of these, and they sponsor plenty of volunteer opportunities to restore this coral reef formations. So next time you are taking a dive, stay off the coral!
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