by John Stoneman

In over 30 years of working with the sea, both as a naturalist and as an underwater film maker, I have seen and experienced many wonderful things. I have also been witness to a number of disturbing sights.

Certainly, when one has the means to look at film shot on a coral reef perhaps 25 years ago and then draw a comparison with the same reef today, the likelihood is that one will see changes, sometimes for the better, but more often than not, for the worse.

To a greater or lesser degree, a coral reef could be looked upon as a thermometer for the ocean and it is here on these often diverse and prolific habitats, that most of my observations have been made. In some places, these once abundant living structures have been so severely affected by man's encroachment, that they seem to be hanging onto life by a thread.

The reasons for the decline of these once thriving communities has generally come about not as result of one factor, but by a combination of factors. Certainly, over fishing and poor fish management play a major roll in the decimation of reefs, as does the run-off of man-made pollutants. This is particularly noticeable on some of the islands that are trying to attract tourists, including divers. To achieve this goal, hotels, restaurants and other facilities must be constructed, but unfortunately, there is often little regard for the very element that the visitor is coming for, the sea.

Despite all the bad news, there is now thankfully, reason for hope. This, because a number of islands, organizations and individuals are making a concerted effort to bring more attention to the problem of man's encroachment on the marine environment. They do this, not by stopping construction, fishing or diving, but by educating those that take part in these practices, as to the fragile nature of the sea and in particular, the delicate world that exists on the coral reef.

Undersea sanctuaries or parks, such as those found in Bonaire, Florida, Saba, Cayman and the Bahamas, are just a few of the places that are taking the protection of the coral reef community very seriously and despite the large numbers of visiting divers and the fact that sport fishing is allowed in most of these places, my view of the situation is that the problem of man's encroachment on the habitat, has been much reduced and in some areas, reefs seem to be in even better condition than they were 25 years ago.

When it all comes down to it, the support that the sport diver gives to places such as these and the effort that they make to bring attention to the fragile nature of the sea, only continues to help in this ongoing battle that we have, to preserve the beautiful world that exists beneath the waves.

In short, divers are the ambassadors of the ocean and what they do with this important responsibility could well represent a major contribution to the subsequent survival of not just the coral reefs of the world, but perhaps, the very ocean itself.

Remember, in the final analysis, once the sea is gone, it is gone forever.