This essay will be examining and assessing the detrimental environmental effects of the touristic sport of scuba diving. In order to evaluate the full extent of the negative impacts that this leisure activity has, in particular with regard to coral reefs

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This essay will be examining and assessing the detrimental environmental effects of the touristic sport of scuba diving.  In order to evaluate the full extent of the negative impacts that this leisure activity has, in particular with regard to coral reefs, this study will look at various pieces of research that have been carried out at popular diving locations across the globe.  The sources of the damage will be investigated, paying specific attention to the role of the local governments, the dive operators, and the tourists in these areas.  This will be followed by a reflection on the different sustainable approaches available that involve both economically and environmentally viable conservational techniques.  Finally, the conclusions drawn from this analysis of the scuba-diving tourism industry will be examined within the wider setting of sustainable tourism.

With approximately 1 million additional divers being trained every year, SCUBA is one of the quickest growing pastimes on the planet (Davenport & Davenport, 2006).  This upsurge of interest is partly due to the attractiveness of the wide variety of biodiversity available at diving sites (especially coral reefs), but also due to the development of the transportation industry and increases in levels of disposable income, permitting tourists to reach the most remote coral reef locations (Tratalos & Austin, 2001).  Over the years there has been a realisation that assets such as coral reefs are important natural resources, and as a result governments have actively worked in partnership with the private sector in order to try to develop these areas in order to try to gain a share of the lucrative profits of the tourism industry.  This, however, has come at a high price, as research into the environmental impact of the recreational sport have demonstrated a strong positive correlation between the number of dives and the level of damage to coral communities and conditions at numerous sites around the world (Hassler & Ott, 2008).

As a result of the numerous pieces of research from around the world (e.g. Thailand, Australia, and South Africa), various insightful conclusions have been reached regarding the effect of recreational scuba diving on coral reefs.  Harriott et al (2007) found that nearly all divers cause minor damage to corals and other marine biology during a dive.  Hassler & Ott (2008) claim that the majority of this damage, however, is inadvertent and Van Treek & Schuhmacher (1999) found that it mainly takes place at sites with higher volumes of divers.  

Barker & Roberts (2004) carried out a study in which they observed 353 divers in St Lucia during their dives in order to be able to quantify the levels of damage caused and investigate possible preventative measures.  They found that divers usually make direct contact with coral communities by kicking the reef substrate with their flippers, however a smaller percentage of direct contact was also made through “touching and holding with hands”.  While direct contact with the corals can have serious implications, Barker & Roberts (2004) did note that not all contact leads to enduring damage.  According to their research, less than 5% of contacts cause major, permanent damage (for example, coral breakage), and only around half triggered the “re-suspension of sediment”, whereas nearly 80% resulted in minor damage (e.g. touches or scrapes).  Despite the fact that these statistics demonstrate a reasonably low amount of ‘major damage’, the recreational sport of scuba diving can still, ultimately, prove to be unsustainable if sites welcome a number of divers that surpasses their carrying capacities, as this can result in the regenerative capacity of corals in such locations being exceeded by the levels of damage caused.

There exists some debate over the carrying capacity of the various kinds of reefs for recreational scuba diving, and also over the notion of potential ‘thresholds’ above which diving is unsustainable in the long run (Rouphael & Inglis, 1997).  According to Jameson et al (1999), diver carrying capacity is typically shown as a maximum quantity of dives per year in any given location, and demonstrates the quantity of dives that a location can sustainably support with no degradation.  This is an extremely useful tool for coral reef management.

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Zakai and Chadwick-Furman (2002) carried out a study at Eliat in order to determine the impacts of diving tourism.  These coral reefs in the Red Sea are some of the most frequented diving sites in the world, with over a quarter of a million dives per year on less than 12 kilometres of coast.  According to their research, carrying capacities of reefs for recreational diving are dependent on a number of different factors that change from site to site.  These include the existence of vulnerable species of organisms (Schleyer & Tomalin, 2000), the environmental awareness and technical ability of ...

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