The Green Fins Guidelines for Environmentally friendly Diving and Snorkeling

 

Savedra Dive Cener is Green Fins accredited. Green Fins mission is “to protect and conserve coral reefs by establishing and implanting environmentally friendly guidelines to promote a sustainable diving tourism industry. “  This is not some “over the counter” accreditation. Their trained staff assessed our dive shop and dive masters on actual dives and made suggestions on how we can improve. The Green Fins staff has our full support for now and in the future. For more info on Green Fins visit www.greenfins.net.

 

We are dedicated to the following guide lines:

 

	No stepping on Coral – Coral is very fragile and takes a long time to grow. By stepping on the coral it will either break or you could damage the surface of the coral as well as cutting your feet. Coral is very sensitive to being touched and the smallest contact can kill the animal. Watch your feet and fins at all times.
	No stirring the sediment – As you swim, your fins create a wash that can cause sediment and small debris to upset small habitats and cover corals. This will reduce the photosynthetic efficiency of the coral and can cause it to die. It can also lead to small animals being washed away or increase their chance of predation from other animals.
	No chasing or touching marine wildlife – This can cause great stress to any animal and by touching certain species, you can transmit diseases or remove protective coatings on fish, mammals, invertebrates and other species. Look but never touch and try not to get too close.
	No feeding fish – This has become a large-scale problem all around Thailand. Feeding fish or any other species can lead to them becoming reliant upon that food source. It makes fish more aggressive towards divers and can lead to species interacting with others that they are not normally used to. It can also lead to corals getting smothered in algae as fish no longer eat the algae but eat the tourists’ food instead. It also increases the amount of nutrients in the water.
	No littering - There are many problems with marine litter ranging from turtles eating plastic bags and cigarette butts to chemicals in rubbish contaminating the water and entering the food chain which can result in us eating fish that have been poisoned. It can be dangerous for you too and also affects beaches and the animals that live there when it is washed up on the shore. Bin it, don’t throw it.
	No collecting dead or live marine life – Removing species that would normally breakdown and be recycled into the sea, leaves other animals without nutrients and elements that they need for growth. Even empty shells on the beach play their part. Take nothing.
	No gloves – By simply wearing the gloves you are given a false sense of protection that causes you to hold onto anything underwater. This can cause corals to break, allow you to get too close to marine life by holding on to rocks and can be dangerous for you too.
	No shark finning – Green Fins is against the shark fin trade that globally causes tens of millions of sharks to be killed each year. Shark species have dropped by 80% over the last 50 years. The shark is killed for it’s highly prized fins that are used for soups and other meals. Removing these top predators is highly damaging to the ecologly of our seas. Don’t eat in restaurants that sell shark products.
	No spear fishing – This method of fishing removes the largest and slowest species which can dramatically change the balance of the ecosystem and upset the food chain. It is also likely to injure a species if it is not speared correctly leading to slow death and can be dangerous to divers, snorkelers and swimmers.
	No anchoring on coral reefs - Anchors are heavy and often have a long chain attached. When dropped onto a fragile coral reef it causes great destruction and smashes the reef up. If the boat changes direction with wind or currents it will cause more damage.
	Don’t buy souvenirs of corals or marine life – This encourages, people to remove tons of marine life, dead or alive from marine ecosystems each year for selling to tourists. If we didn’t buy then people wouldn’t collect. Leave it where it belongs
	Use mooring buoys - By using them you do not have to use an anchor that causes great damage. It also sets a good example or others and creates awareness.
	Wear a life jacket when snorkeling – This is a suggested way for first time snorkellers and swimmers who are not confident in the water to remain above the corals without accidentally stanor kicking the shallow corals. This can help prevent a lot of accidental damages.
	Volunteer to help the Environment - Do as much as you can to help organizations and projects to help the natural environment. By participating in such projects you can have a direct effect on the environment and help educate others.
	Support conversation - By donating to any project that helps conserve the environment, your money will go a long way helping to reduce the negative impacts from man made sources. Give what you can and help reverse trends today.

 

Savedra - Some of us must live underwater!