It was once said by the great diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau that people protect what they love. Well, if you’re like us here at Southeast Asia diving you are probably passionate about the oceans but also dismayed at what is happening to them with overfishing, pollution and global warming. As divers we love the underwater environment and it’s up to us to lead the way in trying to protect and preserve for future generations. It’s no secret that coral reefs are receding at an alarming rate due coral bleaching from rising ocean temperatures, fish stocks aren’t what they once were due to overfishing & unsustainable practises and shark populations have crashed in the last few decades due to demand for their fins. It’s tempting to think that these are huge issues and that one person on their own can’t make a difference, but as with most things every little bit counts. So, we thought we put together a list of simple everyday tips that anyone can adopt to help save our oceans and the environment we as scuba divers really care about.

1. Reduce Single Use Plastic

   Every time you go diving or visit a beach you’ll probably notice huge amount of plastic products wash up on the beach which not only spoils the natural beauty of the reef or beach but also presents a danger to marine life. Turtles have been known to confuse plastic bags for one of their favourite snacks, jelly fish. Other marine animals can injest it which can cause suffocation, starvation and even drowning. Plastic takes a long time to break down and when it does we’re discovering it breaks down into small ‘micro-plastics’ which have now penetrated their way into almost every food chain on the planet. But what can we do about this? There a number of simple things that you can start doing almost right away to reduce your impact and use of plastic. Stop using plastic bags to carry your shopping and instead take a reusable bag, many supermarkets have now stopped offering plastic bags these days which is really encouraging. Try to select loose produce rather than those packaged in huge amounts of plastic and use a cotton produce bag (see above) instead of the plastic ones on offer. When ordering a cold drink ask for no plastic straw and instead use a reusable metal or bamboo one - we think they even look better too! These simple things can make a massive difference to the amount of plastic waste you produce. Other ideas include using soap that comes in less packaging instead of shower gels and shampoos in plastic bottles.

2. Sustainable Food Choices

It’s no secret that carbon dioxide and other green house gasses are responsible for global warming and the rise in ocean temperature that is affecting the health of our coral reefs. Whats probably less well known is the ecological impact of mass food production, especially meat products such as beef and lamb. In fact meat production is the primary source of methane emissions on the planet, which is a greenhouse gas 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide! I was certainly surprised, and somewhat dismayed when I found this out. Let’s be honest about it, many of us really enjoy meat and diary products, there is something hugely satisfying about eating a nice juicy burger and giving up meat products can seem like a daunting task. However, there are lots of alternatives out there these days which do taste really great and if you’re like me and can’t bring yourself to fully give up on meat based products, then how about trying to cut down on the amount you eat? I’ve stopped eating meat during the week and only have it at weekends in one or two meals as a bit of a treat, it might not be the fully plant based option that many have gone for but it is definitely a start and will help to reduce the amount of methane emissions you are responsible for. I plan to continue to eat less and less meat over time, its the right thing to do for the planet and our oceans but it’s also a great way to improve your overall health.

The other thing we can do as divers is help to reduce the effects of commercial fishing practises which are depleting fish stocks globally. In addition to reducing meat consumption the other big thing we can do as ocean lovers is reduce or eliminate seafood from our diets. Again, seafood is delicious there is no denying it, but with fish stocks crashing, sharks, whales and turtles getting caught in the huge nets and long lines used giving this up is a small price to pay to help preserve our oceans and the beautiful life beneath the waves. If giving up fish and seafood again sounds like a daunting task then how about taking small steps and trying “Fish Free February” which is similar to the now popular “Veganuary”?

3. Save Water

This might seem like a bit of an odd suggestion, but bear with me! Using more water more means water run off into rivers, lakes and oceans, which in turn means more pollutants flow into the sea, So, by using less water it means less waste gets into our waterways which means it is better for the marine ecosystem. How do we save water, well there are some simple and easy things that we can do, have showers instead of baths, don’t leave taps running whilst you clean your teeth and re-use water for watering plants etc.

4. Reef Safe Sunscreen

Sunscreen and other products contain a lot of chemicals that are harmful to the ocean environment and especially corals. The main chemicals that harm corals are oxybenzone and octinoxate which convert harmful UV rays into harmless heat on the skin. When beachgoers, or scuba divers for that matter enter the water wearing these sunscreens the chemicals wash off and get into the eco system. Unfortunately, once these chemicals are in the water they decrease the corals defence against bleaching , damaging their DNA and hurting their development. Research in Hawaii has shown that the coral there is subjected around 600 tons of sun lotion each year which is a mind blowing figure, especially when you multiple that up worldwide! Thankfully we can help to reduce the impact we have on the corals by using reef friendly sun screens which are now widely available. We tend to use Stream2Sea, which is just one brand of many out there, and by the way we are not associated or in any way sponsored by them!

5. Beach Clean Ups

Southeast Asia is home to some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, but unfortunately we are spoiling them at a horrifying rate. Plastic washes up on them with each and every high tide along with numerous other items such as shoes, toothbrushes, clothes and more - it really is amazing what finds it way onto our beautiful white sandy beaches. However, the main cause of pollution on our beaches is discarded cigarette butts that people haven’t disposed of properly - don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a tirade against those who wish to smoke at all, but like all things that are disposable we should discard of them properly once finished. One of the ways we can help to preserve the ocean environment is to get involved with a beach clean up. Many dive shops or conservation projects run a regular one where like minded individuals will get together on weekend morning and comb the beach picking up litter and plastic as they go. Its a great way to get out there, meet new people and also do some good for the planet.

6. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

This one is often easier said than done and honestly, scuba diving can be a very carbon heavy hobby, especially if you travel a lot to dive. However, there are many things we can do to lessen the impact of our travel and modern lifestyles. For example, try not to use air conditioning and use fans instead to create a cooling breeze, turn off lights when not in use, walk to the supermarket instead of driving (its also good exercise!) You could even get involved in a tree planting project as well which will help to act as a carbon sink and stop it from being released into the atmosphere.

7. Dispose of Waste Sustainably

Another seemingly obvious one, but worth mentioning, where possible we should try to recycle waste to help reduce the burden on the planet. Whether this takes the form of segregating your waste, i.e plastics, paper/cardboard, aluminium tins etc or composting food waste it can all help. Certainly in the case of recycling it is true that it takes a lot of energy to recycle materials such as plastic and glass and the world has a surplus of material waiting to be recycled and thus prevention is better than cure. But if its not possible to go packaging or single use plastic free then we should be trying to dispose of it in a sustainable manner.

8. Don’t Purchase Items That Exploit Marine Life

Purchasing items that exploit the marine ecosystem really hurts the oceans as it creates a demand and means that people will go and od it again and again while they think they can make money out of it. Items to watch out for are coral jewellery (often black coral), tortoise shell products such as hair clips that are often made from the shells of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle and shark related products, especially shark fins. The practise of shark finning is often brutal with the fins being cut off the shark and it being thrown back into the water where it downs or starves to death. By not purchasing these items we help to reduce the demand and people will find other alternatives such as sustainable tourism.

9. Support Conservation Charities

There are some fantastic charities doing some amazing work to help save our ocean ecosystems, from charities that help to conserve species under pressure such as turtles to those that are helping to clean up oceans or raise awareness of the environmental catastrophe we are in the middle of they need our support. These charities often reply on donations or us buying their products - some of them are really great as well and make fantastic gifts. Helping to support these charities helps them to continue doing their fantastic work. Here at southeast Asia diving we plan on adopting a turtle nest this year at one of the fantastic projects run by conservation organisations here in Malaysia.

10. Raise Awareness

It is often said that people protect what they care about and that certainly holds true for the oceans. As scuba divers we are advocates for the oceans and life within them and we need to help raise awareness of what is happening and what could happen. Whether this is by taking photos or taking more direct action we can all play our part to highlight the plight of our oceans.

Hopefully this article has been thought provoking and helpful, we’d love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!