Hawaii Snorkeling Tips Part III – Reef Etiquette

Are you coming to my island on vacation? There are three things I always recommend a first-time visitor do. First, he jumps into the air. Second, he goes to a luau. Finally, I advise people of all ages to get in the water and snorkel. You will find that your mind returns to that experience over and over again over the years much more than many of your other travel experiences. Part I of this series is about snorkel gear; Part II of this series will discuss Snorkeling Technique and Part III will cover Snorkeling Safety; Part V of the series will cover snorkeling spots on the Big Island.

Now, let’s talk for a moment about snorkeling etiquette and protecting the reef and the animals that live there.

Please do not feed the fish, this disrupts their natural eating habits and you may injure yourself. Reef fish are territorial and will occasionally “bite,” but you should not chase, harass, or touch them (this includes octopuses). The oils on your fingers will damage your skin and can carry diseases that can be transmitted to your hands. To photograph reef fish, whether snorkeling or scuba diving, simply find a feeding spot (usually a rock or dead coral head teeming with algae) and wait calmly and quietly nearby. enough, it will eventually circle you and lead you to great photos and a memorable experience.

Snorkeling etiquette calls for protecting not only the reef animals, but also the fragile corals that grow on the reef. Corals, actually colonies of very small animals, take hundreds of years to form the structures visible today; they feed, house, and provide habitats for other reef animals. Coral reefs also protect lagoons and the shoreline from waves and sand erosion. Corals are at the very root of Hawaiian history and culture; The Hawaiian creation song places the origin of life in the sea, from a coral polyp.

Simply touching the corals to see how they feel can cause the death of an entire colony. Oils from the skin can disturb the delicate mucous membranes that protect animals from disease. Do not walk or stand on the coral, as this can kill living coral polyps which, as the builders of all reef structure, are the very foundation of the reef ecosystem. Sunscreen washed off the body can kill coral; wear a t-shirt and swim cap to protect yourself from UV rays and apply sunscreen AFTER you get out of the water.

Called Honu by the native Hawaiians, the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is beautiful, serene, and seemingly wise. Although they have swam the oceans for more than 200 million years, peacefully feeding on algae and invertebrates, this successful product of amphibian evolution is in grave danger. Habitat loss, hunting, and human abuse have conspired to drive the Hawaiian green sea turtle to the brink of extinction.

Now protected by state and federal law, the population of once millions has been decimated to just a few hundred thousand; Although they are making a comeback, the Hawaiian Honu are still threatened with extinction.

Do not approach basking turtles closely, never touch or pick them up. Harassing turtles carries a hefty fine, and in any case, touching the turtle is a good way to catch a salmonella infection. If there are honu swimming near where you are, do not approach or chase them; always swim alongside them, never above them (as a predatory shark would) or below them (so they don’t feel their soft underbelly is in danger).

Anyone who observes their beauty and grace underwater will easily understand why Hawaiians base their word for “peace,” “honua,” on the name they give to the green sea turtle, “honu.”

Although more difficult for the diver to approach, but certainly no less in danger of abuse are marine mammals: dolphins, seals, and whales. In general, it is illegal, dangerous, and generally a bad idea to approach marine mammals within 100 yards; 300 yards for females with calves. Dolphins and seals in particular may choose to approach you, just remember, this is not “Flipper”, these are wild animals and they bite. Hard. If he approaches you, stay calm (absolutely entranced, of course, but calm); stay away from any young animals and stay away from them as they may interpret this as aggression on your part and possibly bite you. Male seals can exhibit dominant behavior and are known for *ahem* mounted swimmers. Avoid these upsets by observing and enjoying these animals from a distance. About the whales… uh, wait a minute… if there’s anyone crazy enough to swim in the open sea and harass a 60,000 pound animal with a mouth twice the size of a king size bed, nothing to saying will stop them… just use some common sense, okay? Leave them alone, besides… it’s the law.

And now a few words about sharks, two words, actually: “Don’t worry.” There is good and bad news about sharks in Hawaii. First, the bad news: If you’re in water deeper than your knees, you’re probably within 200 yards of a shark. The good news? You will never know. The truth is, you are not likely to see or encounter a shark… period. Tens of millions of people swim in Hawaii each year without ever seeing a dorsal fin break the water. Don’t worry, you are not what they eat (so you won’t attract them) and they are generally more afraid of you than you are of them. To allay visitor apprehensions about sharks, the Hawaiian Tourist Board used to advertise that tourists were more likely to be hit on the head by a falling coconut than bitten by a shark…but they decided THAT wasn’t it. a truly joyous statistic to brag about. , either. There are actually only about three shark bites a year in Hawaii, which is incredible when you consider that there are hundreds of thousands of people in the water, all day, every day of the year.

With that being said, keep in mind that all sharks demand respect and there are a number of things you can do to be overall safer in any shark encounter. The number one safety tip is: avoid them. Sharks are stealthy hunters and in whatever condition they are concealed in the water they will hunt. So don’t get in the water until at least an hour after sunrise, get out of the water around 4pm; do not enter the water if it is cloudy; avoid stream mouths. Obey beach closures; Obey the warnings of the Lifeguards. Little sharks don’t become big sharks unless they pay close attention to avoiding anyone bigger than them; the little sharks will usually slip silently away from you without you even knowing they were there. Big sharks are different. They can get close to you.

The most common conventional wisdom you hear is: if you are stalked or approached, swim purposefully, without panicking, away from the shark at an angle. Do not swim at high speed directly from it, as it will activate its predator-prey response and it will chase you. Do not oversplash; this sounds like a dying fish (ie dinner) to sharks. Remember that the largest sharks eat sea turtles…a shark hunting below you, your outline paddling on a surfboard or boogie board, looks remarkably like a sea turtle. When you get closer to the water, seeing three or four sea turtles sunbathing on the beach is normal; seeing twenty or thirty indicates that something very large and hungry is hunting the water nearby. The presence of dolphins nearby does not guarantee that there are no sharks nearby.

There are hundreds of tips for surviving shark attacks from hundreds of shark experts and attack survivors from around the world. I will not share them with you for two reasons. First of all, I’m not a shark expert; Second, I’ve never needed any of them because I’ve followed these sensible rules for years and have never once seen a shark while diving. I am there 4 or 5 days a week, throughout the year. You won’t see one either. Relax and enjoy your snorkeling… like I said… don’t worry.

Finally, many people ask “What is the etiquette for, um, er, answering the call of the wild?” Easy: for wet stuff, just swim a bit away from people and let go, perhaps keeping forward momentum so you don’t create a “cloud”. No, that’s not why the ocean is salty. For solid things, have your partner and both of you swim in and out, visit the bathroom. There are no exceptions to that.

Part I of this series is about snorkel gear; Part II of this series will discuss Snorkeling Technique; Part IV of the series covers Snorkeling Safety; Part V will cover Big Island dive sites and Part VI discusses Big Island Wilderness dive sites.