It’s funny how sometimes you can’t see what is right in front of your eyes. Like the ocean and reef. We have become so used to our backyard that often we take it for granted.
So let’s look at what we have here in Bermuda: and no, not tourism, banking or golf courses. We are a small island with a huge backyard of ocean and reef, of which vast amounts are yet to be discovered, explored and understood.
Bermuda is the second most remotely populated island in the world (after Tristan d’Acuna). We have 280 square miles of coral reef that is unique for several reasons. No where in the world do you find a more northerly reef system than ours. The amazing thing about the coral here is that it has to live in water that changes temperature between 65 and 83 degrees which is very unusual for a fragile species (coral is actually a living, breathing and reproducing organism). Perhaps this ability to weather adversity is the reason why, unlike most of the world’s coral reefs that are declining and dying because of climate change, ours is thriving and spectacular.
Our backyard is evolving. In the past we had a serious fish pot problem. The fish pot was a baited wire cage; fish swam in to take the bait and were then trapped. The fish pot indiscriminately caught fish and reef fish numbers declined dramatically. The Nassau grouper, which can reach spectacular sizes, can no longer be found in our waters because of fish pots, and likewise other reef species, such as the beautiful parrot fish, started to face extinction. People like me who were diving in those days will tell you that the reef was a pretty barren place compared to now and we always had to apologize to visiting divers for the lack of fish on our reefs. Fortunately, people got smart and banned the fish pots just before the fish stocks were depleted completely.
In the late 80s and early 90s diving was becoming very popular and more accessible to the average person. Equipment, training and safety has improved so much from the early pioneering days that the average person, young or old, can give it a try. Divers have the unique opportunity to experience a different perspective of Bermuda or any country that they wish to travel to by comparing life above and below the water. While we all know that we have an island that is the envy of many, we now can say that below the water line Bermuda is a world class diving destination too. Due to the establishment of marine reserves, fish life and numbers are increasing. While the rest of the world struggles to maintain diving industries as the reefs are dying, we in Bermuda have coral that is plentiful, spectacular and healthy. When you add into the mix the huge density of shipwrecks steeped in history and marine life in our surrounding waters then it becomes clear that we are incredibly lucky.
Bermuda has a very active diving community which means there are established dive clubs on the island that can cater for everything from beginner courses to higher education for experienced divers. So contact any one of the three dive shops here on the island to find out how easy and safe it is to become a SCUBA diver.
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