Protect Our Reef

 

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Visiting Coral Reefs
 

Visiting tropical areas is a wonderful way to relax and get away from it all. But remember that waste disposal on small islands is often more challenging and less environmentally responsible than it is at home. Please bring any old batteries or plastic items back home for recycling whenever possible.

Because coral reef organisms are very delicate, please:

• Do not disturb or harass marine life.
• Do not remove marine life from its natural habitat or shells.
• Do not step on or touch coral.
• Do not stir up sediment near coral.

Coral Etiquette
Whether you swim or snorkel, scuba from the beach or vessel please protect our REEF.

Don’t touch anything - Touching hard corals and other organisms can damage and kill them. As some have stinging cells and sharp spines, they can also damage you back. Avoid both problems by keeping your hands off.

No souvenirs - Hard coral bits and shells look way better alive in their natural habitat. Resist the urge to take anything away. (It’s against the law too.)

Maintain buoyancy - Divers, the better you control your buoyancy the less often you or your gear will bash into the coral, saving both you and the coral needless damage. You will also find finning gets easier, and you’ll use air more slowly when you dial in your buoyancy.

Watch your fins - They can do a lot of damage, especially to sea fans and the like, be aware of where you fins are.

Careful on swim-throughs - The less contact, the less wear and tear, to the coral and to you, take your time and take care.

No litter - Don’t leave anything in the water. Litter kills wildlife.

Don’t feed fish - It encourages them to approach divers too closely, and oftentimes eat things that are unhealthy for them to eat. Do so only under the guidelines of the divemaster.

Don’t ride sea turtles and manta rays - It’s a great treat to see a sea turtle or large ray,  We have great beaches in Hawaii where throngs of turtles come to sun - do not allow touching or chasing them - respect our creatures.

Choose reef trips and adventure activities that are operated in an ecologically sensitive manner -Look for eco friendly tour operators that focus on low impact tours for the sustainability of our sealife.

Corals are colonies of very small animals which may take hundreds of years to form the structures visible today.  Simply touching corals to see what they feel like can cause the death of an entire colony. Oils from your skin can disturb the delicate mucous membranes which protect the animals from disease. If feeding coral is startled, it retracts for protection and in doing so is unable to feed.  

Don't walk upon or stand on coral, as this can kill the living coral polyps that are the builders of the reef structure.  Don't touch, pickup or hold reef life including turtles, squids or octopi.