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Knowledge is Power! Although snorkeling is most aptly described as “the ultimate lazy man’s sport”, it never ceases to amaze us that most people have no idea how to do it. They jump in and swim around like mad after their guide, hoping to see anything and everything, without realizing that they have just scared off anything and everything that may have been around them in the water in the first place! Children and Teens are usually the worst offenders. PLEASE SHARE THESE RULES WITH CHILDREN AND TEENS (AS A REMINDER) AND ANY INEXPERIENCED SNORKELERS WHO MAY BE GOING WITH YOU.
1. ALWAYS remain horizontal and as quiet as possible in the water, floating as much as you can, letting the current carry you. If you do swim to change locations or follow an interesting fish, use strong, slow, deliberate strokes that do not scare off marine life in the vicinity. If you do happen to scare the animals off from a particular area where they are feeding, lie as horizontal and as quiet as possible for a short time, and chances are that the animals will return to the site. If you swim with a large group of other people, chances are that you will see very little or nothing at all, and you will be black and blue from being kicked by other people’s fins! 2. Never, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, try to entice an animal with food. People have tried everything from dog/cat food, to bread or frozen peas. These are not part of the animal’s normal diet and may harm them. If you must “feed” the animals, turn over rocks on the sea floor so that the freshly exposed algae will attract the fish. 3. Never, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, touch a fish or any other marine life, including corals. Fish do bite; there are some fish that are poisonous; some corals (like fire coral) can sting or can cut you if you touch it; and you will inevitably do more damage to the corals than anything else. It can take over 100 years for a single inch of coral to grow back! 4. Know where your fins are at all times and do not kick up sand. It obscures the visibility for other snorkelers as well as for yourself. Never kick another person either; fins can hurt! 5. Never take anything dead or alive out of the water. With the exception of garbage that has no living organisms on it, all marine forms (living and dead) are part of the ecosystem that support the life of the reef. Shells white from exposure on the beach are one thing, but NEVER remove shells from the underwater environment!
Good snorkelers know that the best way to enjoy a reef is to slow down, relax, and watch as the creatures of the reef go about their daily lives undisturbed! The photograph below shows a man feeding the fish on the Atholl Island Snorkeling Excursion out of Nassau, Bahamas from the Norwegian Spirit in July, 2008. He was a novice snorkeler, as were many on this particular trip, and took advantage of the boat’s offer of dried dog food re-bagged into baggies, and sold for $1 each. Like many novice snorkelers, he did not realize that fish bite, especially in a feeding-frenzy such as this. He was very badly bitten, and required medical attention upon our return to the ship. He got what he deserved! In situations like this, the fish also suffer, since dog food is (obviously) not a part of their normal diet. Please be warned that this is what can happen to you if you purchase fish food and use it on a snorkeling excursion!
Knowledge is Power! Unexpected Snorkeling Discoveries That You Might Want To Be Prepared For:
Here are some circumstances we have run into over the years that alarmed us a bit at first, but once you know what is going on, the situation is a whole lot less frightening!
1. Barracuda are spooky creatures that look very fierce! One’s first encounter with a Barracuda may be extremely alarming. Just know that the Barracuda is usually hunting for bait fish. They are more frightened of you than you are of them! A Barracuda will not eat anything larger than its own mouth, so there is not chance that it will bite you unless you threaten it intentionally with lots of wiggling fingers that look (to it) like bait fish! Take your picture of it and move on! 2. Underwater “snakes” are usually eels that come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. One can easily run into an eel during the day time if you happen to disturb its sleeping site. Once again, the animal will usually retreat, or may quickly change sleeping spots, without harming you. 3. Damselfish (including the infamous Sergeant Majors—the “pigeons” of any snorkeling site) are “gardeners”. They select an area of sea floor or exposed rock and “tend” their growing plots of algae. They will “attack” anything that disturbs either them or their “work”, swimming straight at you with their mouths open and tails wagging like mad. This is a great photo opportunity not to be missed—and a fish that is rarely more than 4-6 inches long cannot hurt you! 4. If you have the sensation that you have been bitten while snorkeling, chances are that you probably have been! Many fish bite, including Sergeant Majors, and it can be alarming when it happens. Be warned that the fish are checking you out to see if you are “edible”, especially if you are lying horizontal and quiet in the water. Consider it a compliment to your great snorkeling technique and move on! Fish bites are easily treated with a little vinegar or Cordaid, and do not break the skin in our experience! 5. Seeing a jellyfish underwater can be very frightening at first. NEVER touch ANY jellyfish unless you recognize the species and know that it is not harmful. Move away from any jelly that you see, then turn and watch it move in the water with the current—it really is a beautiful sight! If you are stung, treat the area AS SOON AS YOU CAN with vinegar applied generously to a paper towel and let it remain on the sting area for 20 to 30 minutes. 6. Sting Rays are another magnificent animal to observe underwater, especially the beautiful Southern Sting Ray that looks like a large moving Portabella mushroom! Sting Rays are also more afraid of you than you are of them! They do have teeth, but the most dangerous part of the animal is the “sting” at the base of the animal’s body, where the tail and the body meet. Never rub your hands or feet over this area! The most common way for a Sting Ray to “get” you is if you are walking across the sand under which they are resting or sleeping. Therefore, always shuffle your feet as you walk through a sandy beach in shallow water. The sting ray will “hear” the vibrations of your shuffle and move off before you step on them! 7. We have only encountered a shark while snorkeling once, and we consider ourselves lucky to have seen it at all. It was a nurse shark, totally harmless, and it moved away quickly. Most sharks tend to hunt the reef at night, so your chances of encountering one are rare. But, follow the TV advice and do not thrash around screaming—if you are acting like food, then you stand a good chance of being attacked if it is the kind of shark that senses movement to find food. If the shark does approach you, give it a good bash (with your fist) in the snout or the eye; it will move off quickly if it thinks you are dangerous! 8. Some fish do make noise, especially the intriguing Goatfish. If you hear a sound that appears to be “scratching” under shallow water, follow the noise—chances are it is a group of goatfish moving the sand with their “whiskers” hunting for food. 9. Another animal that can make noise underwater is the Parrott fish (just about any variety), especially the big ones, known as Gillenborg (Bermuda). They not only eat the corals and the algae off the sea floor and rocks, they eat the corals and the rocks too! Sometimes you can hear the distinctive “crunch” sound! This is an amazing sight to photograph, especially if you can capture the marvelous Queen Parrott, with her pink lips and distinctive facial markings, having a munch! Their refuse becomes the sand of so many beaches that we love to walk and play on!
For Women Only: Snorkeling and Your Period 1. The presence of menstrual fluid (remember—you are not hemorrhaging—it is not “blood” per se but “menses”--the lining of the uterine wall that is red with blood cells from the interaction with your blood vessels) in the water will not attract sharks right away, although they may sense the presence of red blood cells in the water and come to investigate at night (which is when they tend to hunt anyway) long after you are already out of the water.
2. Depending on where you are in your cycle, the cold of the sea water at most snorkeling sites may be extremely uncomfortable for you, especially on the first or second day of your period. Remember when your mother told you to keep your hands out of cold water while you are having your period? She was right! Cold water temperatures contract the uterus and make you menstrate harder, creating cramps or nausea. I have a retroverted uterus, which made this situation a whole lot worse in the days before menopause! But, on the few times I tried it, some Extra Strength Tylenol allowed me to snorkel slowly anyway and enjoy my trip--although not as much as I usually do!
3. Be sure to always have tampons with you and put in a fresh one (or even two) well before you snorkel. The bathrooms at most snorkeling facilities or on most boats are not very clean or comfortable for changing purposes, and used tampons gum up the system on a "marine head" type toilet, creating extra problems for the boat and its crew. There are new products on the market such as “Instead” (functions much like a diaphragm) that will stop the external flow for several hours while you are on a snorkeling trip that might be a good substitute, although these are too new for me to have given it a try before menopause.
4. Make sure to have some fresh sanitary napkins with you for after your swim. Once again, I learned this lesson the hard way! Swimming wets the tampon(s) even more, and you may very well "leak" from the tampon(s) once you are out of the water! On one occasion in Bermuda, I did not realize this, and the guys on the boat had to follow around after me with a hose, washing off the deck once I got out of the water!! Fortunately, they had no idea it was me who was causing the problem, since there were a lot of other women on the trip with us!! They just assumed it was one "of the women" who was creating the mess on the deck!! <VBG> Embarrassing for me all the same!! If you are into the heavy phase of your period, go to the bathroom (or find a private spot) and just stick a napkin onto or under the loose nylon pocket of your suit. This just takes a few seconds and will make you feel more secure and comfortable. |
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