TV wildlife documentary presenters are a thriving species, doing almost as well as TV chefs, and seem to be multiplying at an unprecedented rate. If you switch on the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet you have a pretty good chance of seeing someone grappling with an animal before shoving it as close to the camera as possible, usually at the same time explaining how it could kill a man in seconds if it wanted to. Then there are the “survival experts” who are more likely to eat the animal they have just thrust in front of the camera, all for the purpose of entertainment (and to show how brave the presenter is).

These types of shows do irritate me for a number of reasons. Firstly because I don’t really want to see a wild animal being stressed and manhandled. I know that these wildlife shows are made under the premise of education and that the animals are released back into the wild after being handled, but I’m also aware that the animal is likely suffering while this is going on, and that there is a risk of injury to the animal. Also, it’s not necessary for the TV presenter to actually have the animal in his hands for me to listen to what he is saying and learn about the creature. I would much rather watch an “old fashioned” documentary with a voiceover by the great David Attenborough and no fearless snake-wrestling presenter in sight. By the way, the BBC’s editorial guidelines on wildlife shows state that they “should never be involved in any activity with animals which could reasonably be considered cruel” which thankfully means we are unlikely to see Sir David wrestle with wild animals any time soon.

But these new-style wildlife shows also irritate me because I don’t think they help to educate divers on the best way to interact with marine life. Because we are bombarded by images of supposed experts and nature-lovers handling creatures on land, it’s understandable that the general scuba-diving public could be deceived into thinking that these kind of actions underwater are normal and acceptable.

Of course such behavior is neither normal nor acceptable. One reason is because of the potential danger the animals pose to the diver. Take the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin as an example. He was the pioneer of all these crazy wildlife shows who was killed in a freak accident when he was stabbed in the chest by the barb from a stingray. The chances of such a thing happening to a scuba diver are extremely low, but of course those chances are increased if you chase and harass the animal until it defends itself the only way it knows how.

Then of course there is the risk of harm to the animal. Project AWARE’s Ten Tips to Protect the Ocean Planet states: “Choose not to touch, feed, handle, chase or ride anything underwater. Your actions may stress the animal, interrupt feeding and mating behavior or provoke aggressive behavior. Understand and respect underwater life and follow all local laws and regulations.” Even the most unobtrusive and innocent handling by a diver may be detrimental to the creature. Besides, it’s simply NOT NECESSARY.  As scuba divers, we are visitors to the underwater world and we should be able to enjoy the experience without having to touch things.  If you think that you cannot enjoy a dive without touching the creatures you see then in my opinion you don’t deserve to be there.

For scuba diving professionals, our job is to be a role model and this responsibility should not be taken lightly when it comes to interactions with aquatic life.  If a professional guide on a dive picks up a conch shell or harasses a puffer fish, then the chances are that the divers who see this will think that these and similar actions are OK and are likely to do the same.

PADI Divemasters and Instructors are encouraged to remind themselves of the Membership  Code of Practice which they agree to follow. Amongst the obligations and responsibilities, they agree to “…abide by the practices and intent of Project AWARE’s Ten Tips…”

My advice to divers wanting to touch things underwater, is to restrict your actions to picking up any garbage you see and becoming involved in the Dive Against Debris surveys.