conservation dives

[+Mitch]

This weekend I was chatting with one of my wife's diving friend who had made a great suggestion to go on conservation type dives. He talked about one of his trips were they repopulated long spined urchins that had been eradicated due to disease, i believe. They collected from healthy populations at a shallower depth, then distributed them to the deeper depths were there were none now.

Here's another that does collection for the New England Aquarium:

http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/programs_and_classes/members-only_programs/bahamas_collecting_trips.php

One thing he emphasized is that one could write-off these trips as being tax-deductible.

Just curious if any ARC members have gone on anything like this? And if so, what kind of trip was it?

Though I only have <50 dives, I've always liked "working" vacations, and think this would be a great way to spend my time.

[ClarkiiCircus]

There's actually a project based out of the san marcos/new braunfels area that enlists the help of local divers, and gets you a PADI scientific diver certification along the way. While they're not the "coolest" or "deepest" dives, they're always a great time and you always see some cool stuff! Plus you can fit it in on a weekend

http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/Diving-for-Science.html

[George Monnat Jr]

I've dove with people from Guam and other places who hunt down Crown-of-Thorns and turn them upside-down and put rocks on them or who spear Lionfish and feed them to sharks and others. There are pests that divers are encouraged to eradicate.

My wife and I both do Diving for Science at Spring Lake. You have to be certified already and pass their written and practical tests. The US Army Corps of Engineers shut it down last year to return Spring Lake to nature (from Aquarena back to Spring Lake). It was supposed to be reopened to diving last Spring Break, but they still haven't reopened it (glass-bottom boats are open but no diving). It's really annoying since that's the best diving in Central Texas, especially when it's cold outside.