Artifical Reef Awarenes
Elements of Understanding
Artifical Reef Communities
The Foundation of Understanding
When a person signs up for
SCUBA classes or trips, they are seeking an adventure into the underwater
world. This customer has preconceived pictures of what the aquatic environment
is and this is based on movies, pictures, magazines and what is seen on
television. The knowledge of interacting and exploring the inner space
is why the customer has chosen your class or adventure. The duty of the
dive supervisor or instructor is to guide and develop the skills where
a consumer can participate in the sport on their own with a buddy. They
also are guided in how to evaluate the environment and how to observe the
aquatic life. The need which gets overlooked is that of laying a foundation
for understanding the aquatic environment, and give divers a general guidance
on the importance for protecting the balance in an eco-system, and introduce
the consumers to the concept that aquatic life exist at all depths, the
depth of sunlight penetration sets boundaries in the water column and the
shallower the depth, the more diverse and denser the population of each
type of aquatic life. The concept of neutering the diver to seek new knowledge
and search for the differences in each level of depth will fulfill this
customer with the expectations of the value of the dollar spent for the
enjoyment.
Have you ever gone to an amusement park and paid for the admission to get in the gate, then have
to pay for each ride to fulfill your desires for enjoyment. Then add the
cold drinks, souvenirs and the waiting in the long lines. How do you feel
after that day or trip. Will you ever go back and when would you return.
How does your trip, class or tour compare. Spend, spend & spend or
is the adventure a continuing learning process and you are their to nurture
and inherence the enjoyment. Are the desires of the customers perception
of SCUBA diving being met or is it falling short with a dissatisfied diver
rejecting the sport because of the value received does not warrant the
cost. An enhancing tool used by some people is to lay foundation blocks
of information where divers can start exploring and recognizing certain
parts to this complex puzzle.
These can be generalized
and are listed as follows:
1. Sun light is the provider of energy. Algae
is the converter of this energy.
2. Depths of the color spectrum set down
zones of the algae and coral life. Algae only responds to certain types
of light colors or energy waves.
3. The herbafors or plant eaters only
graze on certain types of algae and this divides the fish distribution
in a water column
4. Each color zone of depth, whether fresh water or salt
will offer different organisms which is either absorber of sun energy,
grazer or predator.
5. Diving the different zones, you will find different
varieties, colors and shapes of corals, cleaner fish, herbafors fish, predator
fish, crusteans, mollusk and other aquatic life.
The shallower the dive
the more diverse and denser the populations of each type.
These key points can help
a consumer observe marine life that they would normally not see and is
used in dive briefings and open water dives to stimulate objective planning
of dives. Another aspect will help the diver ask questions after observing
something, seek books on the environment and this will help return the
diver to dive more with you. Is the dive adventure you offer a quick dollar
or a social party or an adventure of exploring the underwater world. A
helpful application of these building blocks is to set objectives of the
underwater tour portion of the open water dives. Brief one dive to observer
and point out the different depths and types of algae. Another dive the
mollusk and crustaceans or small fish habitat territories or breeding.
This emphasis of the different competence of the environment weather fresh
or salt water will help establish objectives of each dive activity, develops
divers awareness of the potential damage that could be done by not knowing
the importance of each part of the aquatic cycle of life. Do you remember
what Project A.W.A.R.E stands for, AQUATIC WORLD AWARENESS, RESPONSIBILITY
AND EDUCATION. Take the key points and utilize them in all dive briefings
to stimulate interest in the building blocks of exploring the underwater
world.
Photo of Monte at Pirates Week Festivale 2008
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