NOAA's Reporter's Coral Reef Tip Sheet
September 15, 1997 - Week 37

Scuba diving, once considered a risky adventure for the rich and the daring, has become a mainstream sport. More than 14 million Americans have tried scuba diving and 3 1/2 million dive on a regular basis. Improved scuba technology and safety has attracted many more women and children to the sport.

The primary attraction for most of these scuba divers is coral reefs. Last year, more than one million divers visited the coral reefs in the Florida Keys alone. Because coral reefs around the world are seriously threatened (scientific reports estimate that as much as 70% of the world's reefs face destruction over the next 20-40 years), scuba divers are starting to play an important role in helping to keep this extraordinary undersea world alive.

In 1993, a group of scuba divers that wanted to help keep coral reefs alive formed a non-profit organization called "The Coral Reef Alliance" (CORAL). CORAL's education and conservation programs around the world have expanded beyond the dive community during this International Year of the Reef to bring its message to school children, aquarium visitors, movie viewers, and many others who may not have much information about coral reefs.

Although divers are sometimes blamed for hurting coral reefs by inadvertently kicking or bumping into the reefs, the amount of diver damage done on a global scale is negligible compared with the global impact of over-fishing and dumping of sewage, fertilizer and sediment in the water. So, while divers can help protect the reefs by taking care while diving, their most important contribution to coral reef conservation may be the economic incentives that their tourism dollars create to keep the reefs alive. Each year, more than $1.7 billion in revenue is generated by dive tourism. Dive tourism is often a primary source of employment and foreign exchange in coral reef areas. The average international dive tourist spends more than $2,000 a week when traveling, creating an important boost to many local economies. If the local reefs die, divers will not return to that destination and this critical revenue is lost. Some governments have created marine parks and other specially-protected areas to preserve their reef resources. Entry fees paid by divers for access to these parks help pay for park rangers, education programs, mooring buoys and other reef protection activities.

Upcoming Activities:
International Year of the Reef Dive Festival - November 1-8, 1997 on the Island of Bonaire in the Caribbean. Divers will learn about the underwater environment and will help protect local reefs by participating in an underwater clean-up, helping to count the fish and other marine life in the area and supporting the work of Bonaire Marine Park. The Festival will feature presentations by celebrated marine biologists such as Dr. Sylvia Earle as well as seminars by experts in scuba diving and marine conservation.

Contact: The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), 64 Shattuck Square, Suite 220, Berkeley, CA, 94707. Tel: 510-848-0110; Fax: 510-848-0110, email; coralmail@aol.com
web site: http://www.coral.org/

For quotes or additional information on CORAL contact: Stephen Colwell, CORAL's Executive Director.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE REEF , PLEASE CONTACT: