Part of the beauty of the undersea environment enjoyed by snorkelers and divers is in its coral reefs and the sea life those corals attract. The corals themselves are created by microscopic organisms and are part of a larger, reef-based marine ecosystem that is delicate and responds poorly to pollution and other human activities. The choices you make both at home and at sea can help protect the reefs from disappearing.

Protecting Reefs at Home

Step 1

Participate in your municipal recycling program, as this helps keep trash out of the ocean.

Step 2

Buy food that is grown using few or no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, such as certified organics, to help reduce coral-damaging water run-off from farms.

Step 3

Adopt water conservation measures in the home. A water-efficient toilet or washing machine, for example, reduces black and/or gray water discharge into the sewers, and eventually the ocean.

Step 4

Buy farmed seafood, or at least non-endangered seafood, when you shop at the grocery store or eat out. Choosing farmed seafood for meals helps protect the overall marine ecosystem, including the corals, by reducing over-fishing. Some species of fish are environmental indicators for the health of the entire reef ecosystem, including the corals, while others control species that damage corals.

Protecting Reefs at Sea

Step 1

Talk to your diving or snorkeling operator about the company's mooring practices before you sign up for a trip to a coral reef. Careless anchoring, failure to use mooring buoys and minor collisions significantly damage coral reefs. If the tour operator drops anchor anywhere other than on sand or does not seem to know why you are concerned in the first place, take your money elsewhere.

Step 2

Practice the underwater version of the "leave no trace" ethos of backcountry campers and hikers. Avoid flushing open-circuit marine toilets above coral reefs and do not touch the reef with your hands or stand on it with your fins. Look for coral-free rocks to grab onto or stand on.

Step 3

Plan your swimming route carefully to account for currents, waves and other divers or snorkelers. In addition, a diver should pay close attention to her buoyancy while ascending or descending near reefs, and add or subtract air from her buoyancy control device as necessary. An accidental collision with the coral is just as damaging as touching it on purpose, and maybe more so.


  • Never buy decorative corals from shops. These are often cut from the reef as living corals.

About the Author


Photo Credits

  • coral reef image by Christian Schoettler from
Suggest an Article Correction