Karen Crew Palm Beach Explains Several Ways You Can Dive More Sustainably in 2021
All outdoor sports require a certain level of consciousness for the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, coral reefs and other dive spots seem to need our help even more than most other outdoor spaces. Around the world, coral reefs are facing countless stresses due to overfishing, climate change, and pollution. Rising sea temperatures are putting coral reefs and the sea life that thrives on them, at serious risk. Avid diver Karen Crew Palm Beach recently explained several ways to dive more sustainably this year.
“Coral reefs need our help now more than ever,” Karen Crew Palm Beach said. “As divers, it’s our duty to dive more sustainably and do what we can to preserve these ecosystems we enjoy so much.”
Karen Crew Palm Beach explained that one of the easiest ways to dive more sustainably — if you don’t have your own dive operation — is to always dive with responsible operators. Dive only with companies within the Green Fins family and look for features of a dive company that makes their practices as sustainable as possible. Karen Crew Palm Beach emphasized the importance of steering clear of dive companies that promise up-close interactions with fish and baiting.
“Much of diving sustainably has to do with the way you physically dive,” Karen Crew Palm Beach said. “Improving your finning technique will ensure you’re not coming into contact with the reef and destroying essential habitats.”
Karen Crew Palm Beach explained that 46 percent of the time divers make contact with the reef, it’s due to their fins. She suggested mastering the back kick and the frog kick to improve the finning technique, so you’re not one of the many divers altering the reef with your fins. Karen Crew Palm Beach added that improving your personal buoyancy can help prevent interaction with the reef as well. Improving buoyancy allows you to enjoy your surroundings without disturbing them, while also preserving air and energy.
“The products you use as a diver should always be purchased with sustainability in mind,” Karen Crew Palm Beach said. “Changing your sunscreen is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to help our reef systems.”
Karen Crew Palm Beach encouraged all divers to only use reef-safe sunscreen and other reef-safe diving products. Common ingredients in other sunscreens have shown seriously harmful effects on our reefs, including damaging the DNA of coral and bleaching. Karen Crew Palm Beach explained that there are plenty of affordable reef-safe sunscreen options on the market, so making this change is an absolute no-brainer.
“It’s essential that we explore these underwater worlds respectfully at all times,” Karen Crew Palm Beach said. “We want our kids and grandkids to enjoy these reefs and vibrantly-colored sea creatures just as much as we do.”