around the world and, therefore, has had a chance to see first-
hand the tropical underwater beauty of the Caribbean, Indo-
Pacific and the Red Sea. She even went with us to Alaska a few
months ago, although I couldn’t quite convince her to do the
drysuit thing. Next time, for sure.
Her teachers were instrumental in keeping her engaged
with ocean science. Here in the Keys this is partly because it
is so easy for them to plan class projects that include going
out on dive boats. But it was clearly more than convenience,
for the passion these educators had for all things aquatic
passed through her as if by osmosis. Her marine science
teacher, Dave Makepeace, was especially inspirational, so
this is a shout-out to Dave and all the teachers everywhere
who have such an impact on our kids. As an example,
Dave arranged for his classes to work with Ken Nedimyer
(www.coralrestoration.org) on his projects to replant coral
in the Upper Keys. The kids would go to Nedimyer’s coral
nursery in 20 feet of water to brush algae off the new growth
staghorn and then go out to sea to help plant them on the
coral reef. That’s a pretty cool day at school, something I
never got to do growing up in Rock Island, Ill. All we had
was the Mississippi River, and you sure wouldn’t want to take
your children diving there!
Alexa had the advantage of growing up in a tropical
destination, surrounded by the sea. Or maybe it was her
parents who had the advantage, for the critical task of
educating her on the importance of the ocean and its
inhabitants was not difficult and was incorporated in the
normal course of our daily activities. For parents living away
from the coast, it may take more dedication and strategic
planning. It may take more one-on-one time with their kids to
read them books about marine life, to take them to aquariums
or zoos to see what strange and marvelous creatures live in
the ocean, or maybe to watch some educational television
programming together. Better yet, it may require taking them
to their local dive shop to become certified as scuba divers,
then going on annual family holidays to dive destinations.
For our oceans to thrive, our kids need to know both the
good and bad about the sea. They need to be aware of ocean
acidification, global warming, overfishing, shark finning and
the effects of pollution. They need to appreciate how much
there is worth saving in the world’s oceans. We are at the very
brink in terms of whether our oceans will be sustainable for
future generations. If nothing else, it is our job to give our kids
the baseline knowledge that ensures their reverence for the sea
and passion for its protection. Then it’s their job to preserve,
protect and pass it on.
AD
WHAT’S NEW ON
ALERTDIVER.COM
Hazardous Marine
Life Quiz
Can you tell a scorpion-
fish from a stonefish?
What about a Portuguese
man-of-war from a box
jellyfish? If you think you
can, test your knowledge
with the online photo
identification quiz.
Lend Me Your Ears
After reading about ear
barotrauma (“Incident
Insight,” Page 54), go
online to find more educa-
tional resources on ears.
Test yourself with the
online quiz, take the “Ears
and Diving” online semi-
nar, download the “Divers
Guide to Ears” and check
out even more articles.
North Carolina Wrecks Video Series
In this issue’s “Local
Diving” (Page 28),
read about a destina-
tion rich in wreck
diving. Then visit
www.AlertDiver.com
to watch the North
Carolina wrecks video
series. Learn firsthand
about the histories of
some of the famed
wrecks of the Battle of
the Atlantic.
Alaska Photo Gallery
Want to see more of the pristine
landscapes and unique creatures
of the Alaskan underwater wil-
derness (“Alaska: Nature in the
Raw,” Page 74)? Take a moment
to explore the exclusive online
photo gallery brought to you by
esteemed underwater photog-
raphers.
www.alertdiver.com
|
11
10-13_Safety_Stop_Fall2011.indd 11
10/20/11