Joanna James
Tioman Island is loved for its fab snorkelling allures; where you are treated to the most stunning underwater environs. But, in doing so you must take care to protect the fragile reefs and its inhabitants. Check out the following tips for responsible snorkelling practises that keep you safe as well.
The golden rule is to never go out in the ocean alone, when planning a snorkelling trip hook up with a snorkelling buddy, in the event you can't find one, check with your Tioman beach resort, if the place offers facilities of a dive centre, you can check with them about snorkelling tours. Many hotels on the island like Berjaya Tioman Resort, offer PADI certified dive centres and follow all safety protocols. As a safety protocol; consider wearing a buoyancy device which will be helpful in case of an emergency and will keep you buoyant stop you from trampling and damaging the coral.
Before heading out, make sure your mask, fins and snorkel are the correct fit, in most instances stopping in the ocean to adjust your gear will result in you standing on the fragile coral and thus damaging them. Hence, make sure your mask has proper suction and does not fog up, also, check your flippers for the fit, make sure they won't come off in the water.
Corals are colourful and pretty, which makes many happy snorkelers out there want to touch them; this is very wrong. Do keep in mind that doing so will cause the coral to break, plus the types of coral covered in mucous as a protection against bacteria, then become vulnerable due to disturbances caused by your touch. Another reason to not touch coral is that some emit toxins which can transmit poisons through your bare skin; as such the overall consensus is to not touch the coral, but admire it and maybe take as many underwater photos as you like.
Rough seas are dangerous and pose dangers; plus, the constant thrashing about to keep your orientation will invariably cause damage to the coral reef you are swimming over.
Avoid snorkelling when the tide is low; which means that water levels are low and coral reefs are more exposed, thus, swimming over them will cause damage to the fragile tips of coral. Make sure there is at least 2 metres of water between the coral and the surface, which will help protect the branch tops from getting damaged by your fins and body.
As cute and awesome a photograph of you in the ocean surrounded by fish may seem; it's quite damaging to marine life. Feeding tit-bits of food you take along encourage the fish to stop foraging, plus, they do not receive the necessary nutrients they would get from their natural diet and end up malnourished.
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