Dive Kind: My Diving Philosophy

Last Updated on April 14, 2024 by Candice Landau

About the featured image: I took this picture in a cafe in Coos Bay. It was part of a larger exhibit. It’s an underwater scene made entirely from marine debris, or plastic that has washed ashore. The artist is Elizabeth Roberts and you can follow her incredible work on Facebook.

If you’re a scuba diver, you’re probably an advocate for healthy oceans. 99% of the divers I know are. Why? Because as a diver you see a whole new world. You learn to love the ocean. It is incredible and filled with things you could never have imagined. On a darker note, you also see a world in peril. And, as we all know, you learn to protect the things you love.

This essay includes:

My story, or how I came to this philosophy
An explanation of minimal harm diving
Guidance on how to Dive Kind

When I learned to dive, my world-view shifted. No longer was a pool of water a pool of water. Now, it was a universe of potential. It contained “aliens,” and it gave me a glimpse into a part of the world I did not know needed as much protection as it does. Most people didn’t see the damage their actions were inadvertently causing. And the fishes, who were often first to experience the results of our actions had no voice.

I saw the effects of hypoxia events caused by a changing climate. I saw the impacts of overfishing. I saw the damage done by plastics, biochemical waste, water runoff, and discarded fishing gear. I also saw many amazing things. Shipwrecks encrusted with life, scallops that swam through the water column like animated dentures, wolf eels that preened when tickled under the chin. Giant Pacific Octopus so large a single sucker might have been almost the size of my hand. Kelp as tall as a Redwood, wafting to and fro in the surge.

As I worked my way from novice “Open Water Scuba Diver” through the ranks, I learned more about the problems our ocean is facing. I also learned more about how to combat these problems in my own small ways, and I learned techniques for doing as little harm as possible while I dove—things like good buoyancy, not touching the wildlife, streamlining my dive gear, collecting trash, and partaking in fish monitoring surveys.

When I became a Divemaster, and then a Scuba Diving Instructor, I was privy to the earlier stages of a new diver’s development. I witnessed first-hand the impact I could make teaching someone good buoyancy and good finning technique, and I saw the value in teaching others to spot and learn more about the marine life. All the while I secretly hoped more people would adopt a fish-free diet, and ultimately a plant-based lifestyle.

At the same time I was learning these things, I was also growing increasingly frustrated. Our scuba diving classes did not really teach new divers “good diving technique.” The literature may have mentioned the importance of good buoyancy and not touching the wildlife, but it never prioritized it. While I understood the focus was on getting people through the sometimes tough challenges presented by cold-water diving in the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t find it did much harm to mention different ways to streamline gear, fin through the water, or rules for interacting with the life in it.

The first time I learned about a different finning technique which would allow me to dive closer to the bottom, and disturb less marine life, was when I began diving with a friend who dove in caves, and on a rebreather. This was already dozens of dives in, at least a year after I’d first learned to dive. While my friend’s diving technique had little to do with protecting the environment or the life in it, it had everything to do with leaving it undisturbed. After all, a “silt-out” in a cave might just spell disaster, or at the very least, present an annoying additional problem.

In 2018, when I became an OSU/AAUS Scientific Diver, even more changed. This class put a precedent on good diving technique. It taught me to identify fish, and it gave me a new, more measured approach to diving. Out the window went the “gung-ho” diver routine. I learned the importance of dive planning and gas planning, and I learned the importance of trimming out my gear appropriately. My almost simultaneous advance into the world of technical diving further cemented good gear alignment, and appropriate technique and it wasn’t long before I realized I knew more about these things than many other divers.

Of course, these things alone can be learned by anyone. Neither frog-kick, nor perfect buoyancy are rocket science. These are just skills.

What makes my outlook different is the importance I place on viewing my diving actions through a lens of kindness. I like to call my approach “minimal harm diving,” or “dive kind.” There’s a whole lot more to it than just good diving technique.

Minimal harm diving—What is it?

As a diver you are a kind of first responder. You are the first one to see the plight of the ocean and our waterways. You see the changes as they occur and over time. It’s up to you to tell others about what’s happening so that we can all care more and make a change. The numbers only do so much. You need to share images. You need to use your voice. You need to understand why people don’t make changes.

When you Dive Kind you’ll not only be bringing light to the problems you see, but be taking action toward making changes. You’ll be a catalyst. You’ll learn to dive in such a way that you do little to no environmental damage, you’ll learn how to offset damage done by humans; you’ll learn to document what you see, and to give voice to the voiceless.

How to Dive Kind:

1. Develop good diving techniques

Buoyancy and correct weighting
Finning techniques
Spatial awareness
Gear alignment

If you’re a new diver, take a Peak Performance Buoyancy course, or practice good buoyancy on your own. You could also take an Intro to Tech course, or dive with buddies that prioritize good buoyancy. Learn more about streamlining your gear, and about the clips and attachments on it. I learned a ton by reading alone. Start paying attention to how you interact with the environment when you dive. Did you just kick through a Plumose anemone? Did your fin smash a jellyfish to bits? Become aware!

2. Collect trash on every dive

Carry a mesh bag to collect trash
Learn to use various DSMBs and reels
Learn to use a lift bag.

Of course, you could always take a Dive Against Debris course if you like, but you don’t need to do this to start identifying opportunities for trimming down trash and waste in your own life so that you also contribute less to the bigger problem.

3. Protect and preserve the marine life and the marine environment

Take part in monitoring activities
Don’t eat fish / marine life
Buy some fish ID books and learn more about what you’re seeing

Reef.org and Coral Watch are good places to start participating in fish and coral monitoring activities. They also have great education programs and often, free webinars.

4. Develop the right mentality / attitude

Educate yourself. Read. Watch. Learn.
Be open-minded. Ask. Be curious. Consider.
Treat others with respect and empathy
Come up with solutions. Some forms of conservation preach killing. What about an alternative?
Be it.