Will the Sport of Scuba Diving Survive?

I learned to dive in 1979, and by 1992 I had determined to make it a full-time job. I've been lucky, because I believe I've seen the best of it. Lauren Mowery, writing for Forbes, is a decade behind me, but says much the same thing.

"[When] Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, not all Americans, in fact, the majority of the U.S., wanted to remain in the accord. Politics aside, while nobody yet knows the true impact of this potentially fateful decision, scientists have already modeled a variety of detrimental repercussions from a global temperature increase of two degrees. In some areas of the world, the effects of climate change are real and evident. Consider our ocean reef systems."

We've both witnessed the rapid deterioration of our coral reefs, with dwindling schools of fish. If you read Undercurrent regularly, you'll know this hasn't happened merely in the Caribbean area.

Mowery asks, "While the ramifications of a dying ocean far outweigh the interests of a sport, the question should still be asked: what will happen to scuba diving if our coral reefs are dead?"

She posed this question to Drew Richardson of PADI and recorded him saying, "The PADI organization is committed to being a global force for good. We are passionate about creating a preferred view of the future in healthier oceans.

"As for the future of the sport of scuba diving, I feel there are strong tailwinds that will drive future growth in scuba diving. These include a growing middle class, a strong interest in adventure/action sports, strong global tourism trends, and environmentally conscious millennials, to name a few. We are all about a future of engaging millions of new divers, training them well to be confident and comfortable divers, encouraging and enabling them to seek diving adventure and exploration of the planet's underwater realm and paying it forward as good stewards of ocean and marine life health."

So, Richardson is optimistic about the future of diving. However, we see little evidence to be optimistic about the future of our ocean and reefs. People may still want to strap on a tank and have a look; it's just that the life they'll be looking at will not compare to what we see today or have seen in the past ... unless there is a sea change in government and industry attitudes. https://goo.gl/BXGGpv

-- john@undercurrent.org