Blackbeards' Hypocrisy

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Larry Anta - 11 Apr 2005 04:24 GMT

Had a great time on a Blackbeards trip last week but something a bit odd
happened on April 6. A divemaster (Danielle) asked us to do "our part" to
keep the coral healthy by gently waving our hands over any coral that had a
buildup of sand on it.

But just minutes before, my buddy and I had watched their anchor tear up
chunks of coral and pull out a large fan coral that probably took years to
grow. Guess it was too tough for them to use a mooring line. Ouch!

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Lee Bell - 11 Apr 2005 05:30 GMT

> Had a great time on a Blackbeards trip last week but something a bit odd
> happened on April 6. A divemaster (Danielle) asked us to do "our part" to
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> chunks of coral and pull out a large fan coral that probably took years to
> grow. Guess it was too tough for them to use a mooring line. Ouch!

Since I've been aboard Blackbeard's ships when they replaced mooring lines
that had become worn, it's clear they at least partly understand their use.
This begs the questions:
1. Was there a mooring line available?
2. If so, was there something different about the site they chose to anchor
over that benefited their customers?
3. Are you aware than, in most places where mooring lines are available, the
areas surrounding the mooring balls are more significantly impacted than in
areas where occasional anchor damage occurs?

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Larry Anta - 11 Apr 2005 05:52 GMT

"Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote in message news:64n6e.3770

> Since I've been aboard Blackbeard's ships when they replaced mooring lines
> that had become worn, it's clear they at least partly understand their
> use. This begs the questions:
> 1. Was there a mooring line available?

Don't know Lee. There were two Blackbeards boats at the same site at the
same time. One was moored; one was not. There may only have been one
mooring, in which case it's "sort of" understandable but easily avoidable
(by taking turns, or having one boat go elsewhere, or having one boat moor
while the second boat attaches alongside the first boat if conditions
permit).

> 2. If so, was there something different about the site they chose to
> anchor over that benefited their customers?

The boats were 30-50 yds apart, one moored, one anchored. I assume there
was only one mooring and I assume that the second boat on site just anchored
out of laziness. Don't know. But it doesn't change the facts: Blackbeards
boat 1; fan coral 0.

> 3. Are you aware than, in most places where mooring lines are available,
> the areas surrounding the mooring balls are more significantly impacted
> than in areas where occasional anchor damage occurs?

No, I wasn't aware of that Lee. Why would that be I wonder? Because divers
damage the coral at the bottom of the mooring line on descent perhaps? (I
mean, obviously there's more traffic around a mooring.)

In any case, I've expressed my concerns to Blackbeards and I guess in an
ideal world there'd be mooring lines aplenty. It was just funny to have the
divemaster talk about coral ecology meer minutes after the fan coral was
destroyed, that's all.

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Lee Bell - 11 Apr 2005 11:03 GMT

>> 3. Are you aware than, in most places where mooring lines are available,
>> the areas surrounding the mooring balls are more significantly impacted
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> divers damage the coral at the bottom of the mooring line on descent
> perhaps? (I mean, obviously there's more traffic around a mooring.)

It's a combination of factors. The primary one is that moorings concentrate
dive boats, private and commercial, and divers. While it would be nice if
every diver was environmentally conscious all the time, but that's not how
life is. The concentration of divers is probably the primary problem.
Interestingly, mooring balls also tend to increase the risk they intend to
address, anchors. Areas with mooring balls are easy to find and, once the
balls are all taken, all other boats anchor . . . in an area known to be
sensitive (that's why the balls are there in the first place).

Interesting for you to say that it's obvious that there's more traffice
around a mooring. It's obvious to you, and to me, but it was not obvious to
those that originally arranged to put morring balls in place.

For what it's worth, perhaps something, perhaps not. The most complete
studies I've seen on sites in the Keys concluded that, in general, neither
divers, nor boat anchors were significant factors in the deterioration of
the living reefs. The top cause, by such a substantial margin as to make
everything else appear trivial, was pollution by products of human
agriculture and human sewerage.

Lee

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