The Cruise Ship Industry's Contribution To Coral Reef Destruction

                                     The cruise ship industry has made exotic travel available to millions. There are many benefits to this. There are also significant adverse consequences that can be corrected. Thousands of people are now swimming and snorkeling in coral reef areas that were previously inaccessible or hard to reach. Whether on cruise ship sponsored diving or snorkeling excursions or on snorkeling or diving excursions by companies not affiliated with cruise ships, many more people are now swimming, snorkeling and diving on coral reefs than ever before. This at a time when coral reefs are in great decline. Many people damage coral when they snorkel or dive. I have seen with my own eyes people stand on coral, hit coral with their flippers, raise sediment that smothers coral, and in some instances, break off coral.
                                    What the cruise ship industry can do is set strict guidelines regarding the use of coral reefs. People should not be swimming and snorkeling on top of coral reefs that are in shallow waters and that are most vulnerable to damage. Pathways can be established in shallow coral reef areas to guide people around the coral and not on top of it. People swimming, diving or snorkeling in any coral reef area must be held to the highest standards of care.
                                      The cruise ship industry, if it really wants to protect the oceans as it claims, must make sure it protects vulnerable coral reefs. It cannot keep turning a blind eye to the activities of the millions of people it brings to places that were previously untouched.