How to Help Preserve Marine Life Through Scuba Diving?

Issues such as global warming and environmental degradation have stirred many sectors of  society towards social responsibility and the stewardship of our natural resources. Organizations such as REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) and NARC (Neptune's Army of Rubbish Cleaners) are grass roots environmental agencies that organize research and educational programs, including clean up activities that aim to entice divers, marine researchers and even non-divers to become stewards of aquatic ecosystems and marine life per se. If you are a diving enthusiast and would like to participate in the global effort of preserving marine habitats, here are a few noteworthy activities that you can engage into.

It commences from land. The activities of man on land will eventually affect the state of   marine life in one way or another.  So why not join the local scuba diving community in the conduct of coastal clean-up activities that are organized every year. This can help reduce the volume of hazardous wastes infiltrating marine habitats.

Taking whatever your hands can carry. Reef clean-up involves the removal of non-biodegradable materials without disturbing the fragile balance of marine flora and fauna thriving in these biotic underwater habitats.  Garbage collected from reefs can be further segregated, recycled or reprocessed to prevent its unwanted return to the ocean.

Surveying Fish and Reef Species. Besides the removal of trash from the waters, REEF also maintains a growing database of fish and other marine species with their corresponding abundance scores.  This is accomplished through the Roving Diver Volunteer Program that beckons certified scuba divers inclined to multi-task, as they go about with their individual, recreational diving pursuits in the waters of Canada and the US, with the survey of marine species and recording of its manifestation based on the inputs required by a proforma survey sheet.  Said activity not only seeks to provide a dynamic, primary data for marine research and product development but also fosters a profound understanding and appreciation of marine life for volunteers.

Think you have got what it takes to become a steward of marine ecosystems? Non-divers can contribute to this pursuit by participating in coastal clean-up activities.  Nonetheless, certified scuba divers can do so much more to this end being in close contact with coral reefs and other reef formations. This can be conducted without upsetting the fun part of any recreational scuba dive with the simple retrieval of any garbage you find on the reef. Moreover, becoming a REEF surveyor puts more meaning to the definition of marine life stewardship. Just make sure you're properly geared up with the right scuba equipment to keep you properly insulated, mobile and neutrally buoyant as you probe into the depths of the ocean to inspect the bounties of marine ecosystems

Felix Tero produces web content for Scuba Suppliers, Inc. Get the scuba equipment [http://www.scubasuppliers.com] that's right for you at [http://www.scubasuppliers.com]