![]() ![]() If the dive centre has a dock, see if it was built beyond the edge of the reef to avoid harming coral. If the dive centre is located on an island and has a house reef, ask if any of the dive spots are accessible by swimming from the beach to avoid polluting the water with boat fuel. Where possible take the no-boat option and dive straight from the shore © Sven Hansche / Shutterstock Consider an electric motor, or no boat at all Sustainably-minded dive centres will only permit divers to use Blue UV flashlights during fluorescent night dives to avoid disturbing marine life. The dive shop at Victoria House Resort and Spa in Belize only uses reef-safe products with biodegradable containers. Divers should be encouraged to avoid using fins as it stirs the ocean floor, which allows sand to re-settle and suffocate coral.Ī dive boat that prioritises the environment will be equipped with reusable cups, water jugs, cotton towels and natural mask defoggers. Dive schools should strictly follow a no-touch and no-feeding policy for marine life – even an empty shell could provide shelter for a hermit crab. Always listen to your guide if they alert you that you’re exhibiting dangerous behaviour, even if it’s unintentional. Dive sites should be selected not just based on weather conditions, but on the divers’ experience, to ensure that the impact on coral is reduced where divers are stressed or have buoyancy issues. Sea Saba in the Caribbean takes guests to the Saba Marine Park for project-based adventure programmes such as helping maintain the coral nursery and research reef ecology.ĭive operators should offer small group excursions of fewer than ten divers and a licensed guide per, at least, every four divers. Whenever possible, seek sustainable diving opportunities at marine-protected nature reserves where the safety of fish is considered high priority. If you judge your own skills honestly (and therefore avoid asking for sites you're not ready for) and have basic skills (good enough to pass OW class) you shouldn't need to worry about "check out dives" at all.Look for operators offering group dives with fewer than ten people © Chainarong Phrammanee / Shutterstock Identify responsible dive operators Now imagine what could have happened had some dive op dropped them off above the entrance to the Devils Throat without a checkout dive. And it was obvious during the SI that neither was interested in listening to suggestions. Roto tilling, head up swimming, and hand sculling all played a part. 15 minutes later they were back on the boat, having burned through their gas. With more weight, they both got to the bottom. The same brothers hit the water with us for a shallow (40FSW) dive on Paradise Reef. Grossly underweighted, but he had insisted that the 6lbs would be enough. One of them had burned through 2000PSI just trying to get down. They hit the water with us, and returned to the boat without ever reaching the bottom. On the same boat were a couple gentlemen from the UK. Our dive plan was to drop to the bottom (111 FSW where we dropped) and simply explore the reef as we worked our way to the shallower portion of the reef. We were not diving the Devils Throat, but another group did. In May of this year, we were on a boat at Punta Sur. For example, from what I have seen, most dive ops on Cozumel don't drop you off on Punta Sur to dive the Devils Throat unless you've dove some other, easier, site withe them so they can judge your skill level.Ĭheckout dives are not likely to be anything you ought to stress over, but they can certainly be important. If you're planning to dive advanced sites, it would also allow the operator to ensure that your skills are up to snuff for that site, although in my (admitedly limited) experience, this sort of skills evaluation is more likely done during a regular open water dive at a less challenging site. If its a shore diving resort, it may also include some orientation to key landmarks. Are you asking about checkout dives done as part of your class, or at a resort?Īs part of your class, the checkout dives will be open water dives during which you repeat (and practice) all the skills you learned during your confined water (pool) dives.Īt a resort, checkout dives are essentially a bouyancy check, to ensure that you're not going to be crashing into the reef. ![]()
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