With the introduction of affordable underwater photographic equipment there is a new army of wannabe photographers and videographers who are determined to capture those magic moments underwater to be shared with friends back at home. GoPro, SeaLife ,TG5/6 and many others have become a standard piece of underwater equipment for many.
On my last several dives in the Caribbean, I witnessed far too many instances where divers were working hard at trying to take photographs or videos while clutching corals, chasing fish, disturbing the sea floor, or kicking furiously to maintain their buoyancy and in the process damaging everything in their environs.
We all want to capture something unique and memorable, but must it be at the expense of the underwater world? I would like to appeal to all my fellow diver-photographers, the next time you are taking pictures of videos, please consider the environment around you. Become hypersensitive to the fact you might be touching something. Respect marine life. The damage you can potentially cause could be long lasting and even irreparable.
If we want to keep taking incredible pictures and videos of the extraordinary world under water, we must be better at this, and much more considerate of the marine environment around us. Otherwise, those pictures and videos will become less and less unique, incredible, or even interesting. Nobody will want to photograph colorless, lifeless and empty reefs.
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