A Touchy Subject--Gloves
Editorial by Joel Simon

I’ve recently returned from leading a number of snorkeling programs in the Caribbean. At several destinations, local operators informed us politely though firmly, that gloves were no longer welcome attire for snorkelers or divers on surrounding reefs.

Clearly, the intention is an admirable one: to better conserve the health and integrity of the reef. And the assumption is understandable: prohibit gloves and consequently snorkelers and divers will no longer touch and thereby damage fragile coral. Legislation is one approach, but wouldn’t a little education be a more appropriate solution?

I join many of my industry colleagues in the belief that divers and snorkelers don’t deliberately harm the reef. The damage that gets done is either innocent or accidental. Logically then, the best remedy is to remove the innocence and prevent the accidents. This calls for education and training.

Many resorts mandate orientation briefings, where "no gloves" policies are presented. At the same time, and nearly in the same breath, it would be equally simple, and perhaps more effective, to explain (or remind) that corals are delicate creatures, vital to the well-being of the overall reef ecosystem we all admire and love. Even an innocent hand on a living coral colony can do it harm.

In my tropical marine biology classes, we explore both the strengths and vulnerabilities of the reef. Corals are subjected to many natural disruptive forces including storms, crown-of-thorns starfish, parrotfish, silt, changes in water temperature, and disease. All contribute to the destruction, and in fact, the evolution of coral. The success of any species is contingent upon its ability to adapt to environmental changes. The archeological record suggests that corals have done well; enduring ice ages, volcanic eras, and countless miles of continental drift for over four hundred million years. While this immense span of time is impressive, it’s precisely the slow rate of change that has yielded a high rate of evolutionary success.

In contrast, during only the last 35 years or so, divers and snorkelers have added a new set of environmental pressures to the realm of shallow tropical seas. As a byproduct of permanent moorings at popular underwater sites, specific areas are exposed to hundreds or even thousands of aquatic visitors each year. While we can’t muzzle the parrotfish, harness the weather, or anchor the continents, we can control our hands -- regardless of whether or not they bear gloves.

Perhaps even more important than our hands, are our feet. Divers and snorkelers are usually well aware of their hands, but all to often, it’s the errant fin-clad foot that accidentally and sometimes significantly, impacts corals. If a "no gloves" policy makes sense for hands, then a "no fins" policy makes equal sense for feet. However, I’ve not yet encountered a "no fins" rule! What I have seen, all too often, is a diver or snorkeler, who out of a sincere desire not to touch or damage coral with naked fingers, is compelled to sometimes frantically use fins in ways detrimental to the reef. Either these fins actually hit and break corals, or swift kicking stirs up sediment which then harmfully settles on living polyps. Quite often, these situations could have been avoided by a gentle, controlled push with one or two fingers, gloved or not.

These predicaments illustrate a simple need for better training. For both snorkelers and divers alike, part of the essential repertoire of skills is controlling one’s position in the water. This is especially significant when in the proximity of other objects, living or not. No one enjoys accidentally bumping into piers, boats, buddies, or marine life. Rather than restricting the use of gloves (or fins), our efforts at conservation may be more productively served by encouraging snorkelers and divers to improve their ability to control their position and movements in the water.

Safe snorkeling (and diving) is universally approved and gloves can be a valuable safety measure should an accident occur. I wear a helmet when riding a bicycle, but this protection doesn’t tempt me to crash head-first into trees, cars, or buildings. Similarly, there’s no reason to believe that using gloves will tempt conscientious snorkelers and divers into wantonly mauling delicate coral.

With a little "hands-on" training and education, we can all more effectively keep hands (and feet) off the reef.