Reef Tip #3 Thoughtless Entries

After spending so much time on the bottom of a pool, many beginning divers mistakenly believe landing on the bottom is the right way to begin a dive. Most dive shops and dive boats encourage first time visitors to the reef to enter the water gently. Still, new divers often jump into shallow water and smash down on fragile corals. When diving in shallow water, ease slowly into the water with enough buoyancy to keep from dropping on the coral. The best entry is the one with the least impact. The smart diver will not do a sitting back entry or a giant stride entry among shallow corals. The free falling diver is almost certain to destroy lining coral. Even when the dive boat is anchored in the middle of a sand channel, small shifts in wind can swing the boat over shallow corals. A prudent diver checks the full arc of the boat before entering the water.