{"id":30303,"date":"2025-06-05T15:26:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T19:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/?post_type=dan_alert_diver&p=30303"},"modified":"2025-06-05T15:26:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T19:26:54","slug":"close-encounters-of-the-considerate-kind","status":"publish","type":"dan_alert_diver","link":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/id\/alert-diver\/article\/close-encounters-of-the-considerate-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"Close Encounters of the Considerate Kind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many divers top off a trip to the Southern Red Sea by watching a rotund dugong snuffle through seagrass meadows in about 25 feet (7.6 meters) of water. Others might snorkel beside a bus-sized juvenile whale shark trolling the surface of rolling blue waters before leaving Australia\u2019s Ningaloo Reef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These encounters can be profound, even life-changing experiences for divers. Local economies around the globe benefit from marine megafauna tourism, which provides opportunities to educate people about wildlife and the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But unless done right, these encounters can be stressful for the animals. Wild creatures spend a lot of time and energy finding food, avoiding predators, and otherwise surviving. Human interference can make them less successful in those endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hordes of divers or snorkelers, for example, can interfere with resting and feeding by dolphins and whales, said Rupert Ormond, a researcher at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Another study showed that some animals in Baja\u2019s Gulf of California perceive people in the water as potential predators, causing stress and reducing their food intake. Whale sharks sometimes stop feeding around tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no need to forgo these incredible experiences. Following simple best practices protects animals and the humans watching them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Best Practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most tourism happens where animals gather in large numbers at predictable times, and an overall best practice is to put protections in place before the crowds arrive, said Rachel Graham, executive director of MarAlliance, a marine wildlife science and conservation organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnyone who discovers something like this needs to work early on to either protect the species or the area \u2014 or both.\u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enforcement is key, she added. \u201cTons of places have developed guidelines, but often they are not tied to any kind of fine, so there is only peer pressure to make operators adhere to them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operators may sometimes ignore or bend guidelines when pressured by customers wanting the perfect Instagram shot. Visitors can instead encourage guides to follow good practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook for local operators, and give them positive feedback for having good information and supporting responsible tourism,\u201d Graham said. Online reviews and comments can show whether a business follows good practices. \u201cWhen I work with tour operators, it can be very powerful to point out when people say things like, \u2019They had us touch it, and to be honest I didn\u2019t feel good about it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not touching the animals is also an overall best practice. \u201cThe onus is on the visitor not to demand to touch or hold these animals, even if an operator lets you,\u201d Graham said. \u201cIf guides think visitors have that expectation, they will provide it, which can lead to an unhappy end, perhaps a bite, for the visitor or harm to the wildlife. Just because you have the incredible privilege of being so close to marine wildlife doesn\u2019t give you the right to touch them. You wouldn\u2019t reach out and touch a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following are some best practices specific to certain animals and locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spinner Dolphins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Named for their habit of leaping into the air and spinning multiple times, spinner dolphins feed at night on small fish, shrimp, and squid at 650 to 1,000 feet (198 to 305 m) deep and then rest during the day near shore. Frequent disturbance of that rest can sap their energy and make it harder for them to feed, avoid predators, and reproduce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best practices include boats approaching dolphins from the side, leaving space between boats so the animals can swim away, and not using boats to chase or herd. Snorkelers and divers should avoid mother and calf pairs, keep noise to a minimum, and not swim after the dolphins. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Spinner
Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) are a very gregarious species often found in large groups. This particular group is commonly found in Sataya Bay in the Southern Red Sea. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a general rule, keep your distance unless they approach you, which if you position yourself appropriately they often will,\u201d Ormond said. \u201cA related issue is harassment by boats driving directly at or too close to dolphin groups to get a good view. Dolphins, especially younger ones, can be injured by bows and props.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spinner dolphin outings are popular in Hawai\u2018i, the Red Sea, and Mozambique. A study in Mozambique\u2019s Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve recommended that outings avoid certain times and areas, boats observe speed restrictions, and staff attend required training programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whale Sharks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whale sharks gather in large groups at predictable fish spawning events and plankton upwellings to filter feed on tiny plankton at the surface, making them attractive targets for tourism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operators in Oslob, Philippines, started using food to attract them more than 12 years ago, creating a tourism boom. A recent study found that whale sharks there increased their metabolic rate, or amount of energy burned, by 55%. The paper suggests operators could offset this increased energy use with a sufficient amount of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Feeding marine life for the benefit of tourists remains controversial. There can be negative consequences for the animals (and ultimately for tourism), but shark tourism provides an alternative to shark fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost countries where people visit sharks have an active shark fishery,\u201d Graham said. \u201cTo move away from that, you need to make tourism lucrative, which requires predictability. Many places don\u2019t have enough sharks to provide predictability and have to maintain it by feeding. Having protections in place can be a way to change people\u2019s attitudes toward sharks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best practices, such as prohibiting hand-feeding animals, are critical. Sooner or later a shark will bite the hand that feeds it \u2014 a caveat not applicable to plankton-eating whale sharks, but still common sense. Other best practices include limiting the number of boats and the time people spend interacting with the sharks and remaining beside and not in front of the animals. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"This
This whale shark is under an Indonesian bagan, a mobile fishing platform. Fishers lower nets at night to catch baitfish and often share some of their bounty with the whale sharks. Dive operators, in turn, pay them a small fee to offset the fish donation and allow their divers to swim with the whale sharks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Visitors can swim or dive with whale sharks seasonally at Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres in Mexico, Australia\u2019s Ningaloo Reef, Cenderawasih Bay in Indonesia, the Gulf of California, and the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dugongs and Manatees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dugongs and their manatee cousins are believed to have descended from land animals and are more closely related to elephants than other marine mammals. Also known as sea cows, they eat more than 60 pounds (27 kilograms) of seagrass a day and, thanks to good memories, remember and return to specific feeding areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dugong tourism in the Red Sea occurs mainly around Marsa Alam on the Egyptian coast. The nonprofit Red Sea Project promotes best practices for operators and tourists, including staying at least 10 feet (3 m) away, avoiding flash photography and underwater motorized propulsion, and not moving sand or sitting on seagrass. Sea cows move slowly and surface to breathe, making them vulnerable to being struck by boats, so reducing speed is a basic best boating practice around feeding grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dugongs live exclusively in salt water, while manatees also swim in fresh water. Those in Florida seek out warm springs during winter, including around Crystal River. Multiple operators offer manatee tours that include snorkeling (scuba bubbles can drive away the animals). State and federal laws protect manatees in Florida, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages passive observation from a distance at the surface. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"A
A dugong (Dugong dugon) ascends to breathe after feeding on seagrass in the Red Sea. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Other places to see dugongs include Australia\u2019s Great Barrier Reef; Coron, Philippines; Palau, Micronesia; and Raja Ampat, Indonesia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Manta Rays <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These filter feeders gather to feed on zooplankton during its seasonal movement and upwellings, thus spawning tourism operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kona on the big island of Hawai\u2018i is popular for watching manta rays feed at night. Tour guides use lights to attract plankton, which attracts mantas. A best practice is for snorkelers to hold lighted flotation devices and watch from above while divers sit around a light box on the sandy bottom and watch from below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLight on the bottom and top creates a fantastic sight,\u201d said Martina Wing, co-owner of Manta Ray Advocates and a board member for the nonprofit Hawaii Ocean Watch. The method protects the animals and improves the experience for people because everyone can see, and no one gets jostled about. Boats remain a short distance away and turn off their motors. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Reef
Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) feed on plankton at night. Off the Kona Coast of Hawai\u2018i, lights are placed on the seabed at night to concentrate copepods and other plankton, which attracts hungry manta rays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll these years, it was unspoken that you don\u2019t injure the animal that makes us a living,\u201d Wing said. \u201cThat means no lights on the boat so mantas are not drawn to it and risk getting injured.\u201d But the unspoken agreement fell apart somewhere along the way, and a lengthy process to establish official rules has bogged down. So some operators follow best practices, but others do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSay 10 boats come to the same site and one said, \u2018My customers are important,\u2019\u201d Wing said. \u201cThey park 100 meters (328 feet) away, turn on their lights, and here comes a manta ray. The people on that boat see the ray but also may injure it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hawaii Ocean Watch reports that 25% of the mantas they see regularly have injuries caused by humans. Besides boats, injuries can result from touching, which can damage the protective coating on a manta\u2019s skin, leaving it more vulnerable to infection. People in the water have been injured as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Daytime manta watching is popular in the Maldives, Palau, Indonesia, and Western Australia around cleaning stations \u2014 reef areas where cleaner fish remove parasites and debris from other fish. This practice feeds the cleaner and protects the clean mantas from disease. Safe boating practices also apply at these locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divers should settle gently onto the sandy seafloor a safe distance from the coral bommies so they don\u2019t harm living coral or impede a manta\u2019s path to the cleaner fish. Chasing after a ray for a photo is likely to scare them away, earning aggressive photographers the ire of fellow divers and forcing rays to seek their hygiene elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is incredible to be in the presence of a manta ray,\u201d Wing said. \u201cIt can be a core experience of your life. But it has to be done sustainably, or the environment and animals suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Humpback Whales<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The International Fund for Animal Welfare reported in 2020 that 13 million people watching whales in 119 countries and territories generated $2.1 billion. That significant boost to conservation efforts and local communities provides a reason to establish the right guidelines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite their massive size, these whales feed on tiny krill and small schooling fishes, straining their prey from ocean water with baleen plates. Males are famous for their complex, long songs, with males in a population singing the same song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often found near shore and at the surface, humpbacks are targeted by a robust topside-only U.S. whale-watching industry along the Atlantic coast and in California, Alaska, and Hawai\u2018i. Mo\u02bborea in French Polynesia, Tonga, and the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic are among the most predictably productive for legal underwater humpback encounters. The whales\u2019 iconic, photo-worthy behaviors include blowing (or exhaling), breaching, fluking, and tail and flipper slapping. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"A
A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf plays in front of its mother near Tonga in the Pacific Ocean.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Being struck by boats, including those carrying tourists, is a significant threat to these animals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has guidelines for choosing responsible operators, and they award a Whale Sense designation to those who follow certain practices. Whale safety guidelines may be less stringent in other parts of the world, but operators are learning to self-police, which insulates them from mandated oversight and benefits the whales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of resources for divers to educate themselves about appropriate, respectful, and benign encounters with marine animals. We owe it to our fellow divers and these creatures to ensure that we are prepared to avoid causing harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jelajahi Lebih Lanjut<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

See more close marine encounters in a bonus photo gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t

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