Living coral reefs attract millions of snorkelers each year. But they can also be a serious threat to the fragile ecosystem. Snorkelers have at least one negative contact with the corals for every 30 minutes in the water. Help us protect our reefs by avoiding the following:

Responsible snorkelers enjoy, not destroy

1. Simply relax and move slowly. Marine life is less threatened by a relaxed snorkeler. Swimming slowly is not only more comfortable for you, but also is less likely to intimidate the wildlife you have come to observe. Many creatures are extremely sensitive to vibrations in the water, and in fact depend on this sense for their survival. Quick motions of snorkelers are easily perceived as potential threats by many fish and invertebrates.

No matter how strong you are, humans simply cannot out swim animals such as whales, rays, turtles, fish and squid. Although the impulse may be to pursue these animals for a closer look, this will only scare them away. The relaxed and slow moving snorkeler will find that aquatic mammals (including your snorkeling buddy), fish, and invertebrates will continue their natural behavior, while allowing you to approach them much more intimately.

2. Minimize contact with the reef. Did you know that coral grow at a rate of one centimeter a year? By accidentally kicking and breaking off a piece of coral, you've killed several hundred years of growth. Learning to control your movements and position in the water benefits your own comfort and safety as well as the health of the reef. Both are important! 

Despite the fact that corals look more like rocks or plants, they are definitely animals. Coral colonies are composed of many tiny, cup-shaped animals called polyps, which are related to jellyfish. A single coral polyp may be as large as a saucer or smaller than the head of a pin. Millions of polyps working together in a cooperative colony generation after generation create the limestone skeletons that form the framework of the beautiful coral reef. Although the limestone is durable, the soft-bodied polyps can easily be damaged by contact with hands, fins, etc. 

Losing one polyp doesn't appear to be such a big problem, but this spot will be more susceptible to infections and can cause further mortality on the colony. Besides the impact on the coral, accidentally bumping into the reef can also harm you. The coral animal has "arms" with stinging cells, used to kill small organisms called plankton. Though you will not feel the sting when coming up against a coral, the venom can still enter the wound and lead to infection. Coral will easily cut through your soft skin, especially after you have spent some time in the water. Cuts in general, and coral cuts in particular, will heal slowly in the tropics. For the mutual benefit of the reef and ourselves, it’s both prudent and responsible to master the skills needed to minimize accidental close encounters with coral.

3. Live and let live. In contrast to its initial appearance of grandeur, living space on the reef is very scarce. Every little niche is or will be occupied soon by an organism of some type. Empty shells are a valuable part of the ecosystem, and they get recycled many times. You don't want to take a hermit crab's new home, do you? We discourage any shell collecting, other than items found above the high tide line.

4. Leave nothing but bubbles. Although you don’t see as many signs as along a typical highway, littering under water is just as inappropriate as it is on land. We always carry trash bags during our outings, both from shore and from boats. Please use these containers rather than disposing refuse in the water. Pay special attention to plastic bags. They blow away easily and once in the water they closely resemble jellyfish, the main diet of many turtles. And if you see trash, pick it up. We do.

5. Spearfishing. While spearfishing is still utilized by many local communities as a way to procure food, we prefer to buy our seafood at a local restaurant, thus supporting the fishermen.

6. Correcting other people's actions. Now that you know what you should and should not do, educate others. One of the biggest frustrations in Manzanillo, when watching other snorkel boats is the local guides' lack of respect for animal life. If you choose another snorkel trip over our Super Snorkeling Safari, and you see the guide remove a puffer fish from the water, know that he is killing it for your benefit (and the benefit of a bigger tip). Though you may be amazed and amused by the bloated puffer, removing him from the water causes him to fill up with air, and he can't "unpuff." The guide leaves him floating on the surface to die. Dozens of puffers are killed this way each week. Do not tip a guide who has no respect and needlessly murders fish with no thought to the harm he is doing to the environment--and tell him why you are not tipping.

Using the guidelines above should enhance the snorkeling experience for you and the reef, and help preserve both for generations to come.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

The problems are critical, but not hopeless. Some people believe in a cause so strongly they donate car toys to children's charities or even actual cars, but change really starts with education and doing something as simple as buying our guidebook!
 

Did you know that one dollar from the sale of the Manzanillo guidebook and one dollar from every snorkel trip you take with SCUBA SHACK goes to clean up our ocean and beaches in Manzanillo? Every snorkeler, whether novice or expert, is a vital link in nature's complex eco-system. We hold the future of the earth's oceans in our hands. Educate your children and set an example.


Refine your technique; become a better snorkeler with these tips:

The number one rule when you're snorkeling is to do your part to protect the underwater environment. To do so, you need to become a better snorkeler and refine your techniques so you'll feel like a dolphin, slicing effortlessly through the water, your mask, snorkel and fins becoming part of your body.

If instead, you're starting out like an uncoordinated turtle, using your hands, treading water, breathing hard, or standing on the coral, here are a few hints to make you more comfortable.

  1. Adjust your mask and snorkel BEFORE you enter the water. Remember to spit in your mask, rub it around on the inside of the glass, and rinse it quickly to keep your mask from fogging up. (Baby shampoo works as well, but we always have saliva with us.) On our boats your guide carries a product known as "No Fog."

  2. If you need to remove your mask while in the water, relax, take a partial breath and hold it so that you will know if you are naturally buoyant (most people are). Breathe shallow breaths keeping your lungs half full with air (you float higher that way). Remove your mask, make the adjustment, and put it back on by placing the mask against your face, then pulling the strap up and over your head. Under no circumstances should you rest your mask on your forehead. It is a sign to all trained guides that you are stressed and/or in trouble. You can also easily loose your mask if you are hit by a wave. The proper place to put your mask when it is off your face is around your neck.

  3. If you have a mustache, bring petroleum jelly along to help seal your mask. Spread liberally on your mustache hairs, where they meet the skirt of the mask. (After using petroleum jelly on your mask, wash your mask well with soap to remove it. The petroleum-based product is not compatible with the silicone mask skirt.)

  4. Don't try to enter the water wearing fins. Walk in with your fins in your hand (mask and snorkel in place), turn around and face the beach so your back is blocking the wave action. Then put your fins on. (You should be at least waist deep in the water, relaxed and floating, out of the breaking waves.) By facing the shore, you can see where the surf break is and avoid it.

  5. When snorkeling from the beach, start off in shallow water (in a sandy area, if possible) and wait until you are comfortable in a shallow depth before venturing into deeper water. From a boat, enter the water with your mask, snorkel and fins in place. Let the water support the weight of your body. Float face down with your body stretched flat on the surface (dead man's float position). Salt water makes you very buoyant, so there's usually no need for a flotation device, unless it enhances your comfort zone. Your guide will demonstrate the proper entry technique.

  6. It's best to leave everything in the ocean, but if you simply must take a shell for a souvenir, make sure it's devoid of a hermit crab or snail. (Baby octopi also enjoy inhabiting small shells.) Empty bi-valves, such as mussels, oysters, or clams are often dumped in the ocean by restaurants on the beach. These are okay to take because they've already been discarded by humans, and no animal will turn them into a residence.

  7. The wave action is called surge (the motion of the ocean). Relax and enjoy it; let it rock you back and forth. It is not a current. Stay at least five feet away from the rocks to begin with, until you get used to the surge. If you get too close to the rocks, push away with your fins, not your hands. Rocks can be very sharp from barnacles and encrusting hard corals. Remember that sometimes protecting yourself kills the animals and plants living on the rock. It's best to get some experience in before you get too close.

  8. Look close up as well as far away. Sea anemones, crabs, mollusks and other tiny creatures hide in the coral heads. Larger fish, such as grouper and parrotfish are shy and keep their distance.

  9. If you get cold, do some free diving or swim to warm up. Ask for a wetsuit if you chill easily. If your guide wears a wet suit, it's smart to wear one, too.

  10. If you begin to tire, float for a while. Snorkeling is easy and need not require a lot of work. Most of snorkeling is floating and watching.

Do not stand on the rocks or coral. A coral head is made up of millions of living animals, and rocks are encrusted with living organisms. Respect the sea and let it be there for your children. Tell others that are unknowingly killing our sea creatures. Take a stand! (But not on the coral.)

This article is reprinted from Susan Dearing's Manzanillo guidebook.