Hi Guys;

I would like to share an experience I had at a re-certification dive
"UW-Naturalist", last weekend.

Briefly, I received my first certification about 25 years ago, was
active Scuba Diver in Europe (600 plus dives, last dive 12 years ago)
and always conscious regarding our environmental condition and
especially of our aquatic realm.

Because my certification and log book got lost when I moved from Europe
to the United States about ten years ago, and the certifying agency
(under supervision of CMAS) didn't record the certs until 1992, I got
into sort of "experienced diver" program for re-certification as
Advanced Open Water Diver.

I did the "Naturalist" dive with an Instructor who is quite young (but
certified and 800 dives logged) and definetly immature in certain
regards. Here it comes: While doing our dive, as soon as he saw
flounders on the ground, he sneaked up to them and held them down with
his thumb. Of course, the flounders tried to escape but he was holding
them down for a while before he let them go. As soon as he saw a crab,
he pulled out his knife and started hacking on their shell, he didn't
break them but...

Didn't PADI have a Project AWARE and isn't it one of divers important
rules to leave aquatic animals in their natural habitat with as little
interference as possible?

However he is a really nice guy and I will dive with him and the dive
center many more diving excursions in the future (there are not soo many
choices around here and they are 5 minutes from my home) and he IS an
instructor with more dives and experierience than me, so I don't want to
get him in trouble, but need to talk to him as diplomatic as possible. I
started with making a joke "You are some Naturalist, I guess you tried
to teach me a lesson on "what NOT to do" under water." He just laughed.

Becomming aware of the co-dependency of ecological systems is certainly
a process that takes time and maturity, because of his youth, I am
willing to be not too hard on him. But then, when I was even ten years
younger than he is know, I was aware how important it is to protect
aquatic life.

Do you have any suggestions how to make this "kid"-instructor more aware
of his responsibility without kicking him into his groin?

Chaoswolf

chaoswolf@arcticmail.com