PHUKET, Thailand (25 April 2005) -- A moray eel bit off the thumb of a scuba diver who was harassing it in what the scuba diving industry describes as 'interactive' diving. While diving off the Similan Islands in Thailand, British tourist Matt Butcher, 32, learned the hard way why the United Nations and international eco groups are campaigning for a worldwide ban on fish feeding and similar entertainment dives in which scuba divers utilize food to to provoke marine wildlife to perform for thrill-seeking tourists. Butcher lost his thumb after he and diving buddy Becks Herbert concluded that a huge 2-meter long moray eel "wanted to play" with them. When Butcher tried to provoke the animal with processed sausage meat wrapped in a plastic bag, the animal latched on to Butcher's left thumb, which was holding the bag. "I couldn't get my thumb out of (the eel's) mouth once (it) started biting," Butcher told reporters from his hospital bed in Phuket. "Seconds later my thumb came off. The (eel) ate it and swam away. I'm just glad the eel didn't bite something else!" Cheap soggy sausage? No thanks, I prefer fresh interactive diver thumb...Dive industry green-wash Apart from nitrogen narcosis, which can cause divers to do stupid and dangerous things, many fish feeders are under the influence of TV shark feeding shows and dive industry promotion of 'interactive diving' as safe and exciting for underwater thrill-seekers. DEMA vs UNITED NATIONS | "The (dive) industry as a whole recognizes the significant value of interactive (animal feeding, animal touching, animal riding, animal petting) marine experience$." Regina Franklin, DEMA | "Do not feed fish. Do not attempt to touch marine animals." United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) "Do not touch living marine life such as coral and marine animals. Never harass aquatic animals. Do not feed marine animals." International Ecotourism Society |
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| | Butchered by a moray eel: Matt Butcher reflects on the 'thrills and spine-tingling chills' of so-called 'interactive' diving, which parted Matt from both his common sense and his thumb... PADI, the DEMA dive industry marketing group and National Geographic aggressively green-wash fish feeding, shark cage diving and marine mammal shows which generate millions of dollars from thrill-seeking tourists who pay to watch marine wildlife perform. "While there are those who strongly disagree with placing orcas in captivity and having them perform, it is these contrived, 'unnatural' encounters that remove public fear..." argues Jeff Nadler, industry spokesperson for PADI, a company based in southern California that markets and sells diver certification cards, sports apparel and fish feeding tourist dives. In 2001, PADI, DEMA and Rodale Inc (a publisher which later dumped its troubled and discredited Scuba Diving magazine) lost a two-year battle to prevent a ban on fish feeding in Florida, which became law on January 1, 2002. Soon after, Hawaii and the Cayman Islands also banned fish feeding due to concerns about public safety and the impact of feeding activities on marine wildlife and the environment. CDNN Related NewsFor in-depth analysis of the fish feeding issue, go to CDNN Special Report: Shark Feeding.Fingerless in Florida - PADI instructor loses finger after harassing porcupine fish© CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
