Coral reef plays an essential role in the world’s ecosystem and tourism industry to the extent that it has attracted governments to protect them.
Initially, some governments’ tourism industry depended on coral reefs, but today and more than ever, the two are interdependent.
But that isn’t our focus in this article. In this article, we will be explaining why people flock to reef snorkeling; what reef snorkeling is. Read along to expand your knowledge.
But first, what is snorkeling? Snorkeling is the sport practiced by swimming on or in the water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube known as a snorkel, usually with swim fins.
The device used for this activity is known as a snorkel; it is designed to allow snorkelers to observe underwater attractions in their natural setting without complicated equipment and training required.
It also allows the user to observe for an extended period with little effort and breathe while facing down at the water surface.
What is reef snorkeling?
Therefore, reef snorkeling can be said to mean when snorkelers explore the coral reef for the activity itself and then for other activities such as tourism. It can be said to mean using one activity to benefit from another.
There are several reasons why people flock to reef snorkeling. Snorkeling is the cheapest way that does not require training.
It is expensive and complicated equipment like scuba diving yet provides snorkelers with a convenient way to observe underwater life without disturbing its natural setting. The following reasons will explain why flock to reef snorkeling.
The love for natural science
A couple of individuals out there love nature immensely, especially the marine environment. But they were limited from enjoying this beauty (coral reef) due to the training and expensive equipment required like scuba diving, limiting them from enjoying this activity.
But, with the emergence of snorkelers, they thought that they had finally found a way to live their dreams at a reduced cost. This is also promoted because snorkeling does not require deep diving.
A cheaper way to explore the coral reef
Secondly, professional scientists have spent millions of dollars exploring the coral reef environment yet have not been able to cover a substantial area. This is because professional scientists have very limited time for field study.
Therefore, since snorkelers have an extended time to cover greater areas, some professional scientists now depend on the information gathered by snorkelers to complete their work.
As a result, people rush for snorkeling, and as a means to get this information required by professional scientists to earn a living.
The emergence of waterproof cameras
The field of photography cannot be left out in this rush. Yes, because the importance of photography cannot be overemphasized. With the emergence of waterproof cameras, it became easier, less expensive, and less time-consuming for even better images of reef pictures to be taken.
Also, many adventurer and commercial photographers saw new dawn and a new field where the expertise of their professionalism could be show-cased.
A database of these realistic images can now be consulted by individuals or a team of researchers for reconnaissance studies.
For tourism
Coral reefs present a variety of organisms in terms of color, size, mode of feeding, and way of living. Many individuals have joined the race for reef snorkeling so that they can be able to enjoy the vast and rich natural environment that coral reefs present. The beauty of areas covered by coral reefs cannot be over-emphasized here.
The shallow environments of seas and oceans are so beautiful that one might say heaven is in the waters. Coral reefs are a museum on the shallow ocean floor.
A laboratory for the field of medicine
Coral reefs arguably have attracted medical scientists more than any group of persons else. They are not present only as a laboratory for studies but as a reserve for many medicinal extracts. Since many of them are sessile organisms, they have evolved chemical defenses for themselves.
Therefore, some of these chemicals have been extracted from many coral reef plants and animals which have been used in medicine to treat different kinds of cancers, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Coral reefs can be said to be the anchor of marine biotechnology. Coral reefs are sometimes considered the 21 first century medicine store.
In the field of arts
Paint artists seemed to have exploited all terrestrial ideas for their paintings. The coming of reef snorkeling opened up a new era for paint artists.
Coral reefs attracted this group of people due to their wide variety in size, feeding habits, mating habits, and color, to name a few. They now present seafloor coral reefs to the outside world as a reality.
Our friends who don’t have a relationship with water have been able to appreciate this underwater nature without stepping a foot into the ocean. There is, therefore, a mad rush of paint artists to explore the ocean floor before options get exhausted.
For hunting
It can be amazing to find out that coral reefs provide about 25% of the world’s population with food. With this headline, snorkelers explore coral reefs habited areas to hunt and harvest food (plants, animals, fishes, etc.).
Since snorkeling provides an easy and cheap means to explore the corals for an extended period, coral reef snorkeling has become or, let’s say, is becoming trending today.
The cosmetic industry cannot be left out of this development. Extracts from many coral reef plants, animals, and especially some fish species provide essential material for cosmetic products.
Conclusion
Snorkeling is less expensive, requires less or no training, and is less risky when compared to its brother activity, scuba diving.
Coral reefs strive in shallow water environments and provide a natural museum underwater, an amazing lifestyle of plants and animals worth studying, a tourism industry on its own, a laboratory for medical scientists and other professions, food industry as it feeds about 25% of the world’s population.
Therefore, we may not be able to explain the flock to reef snorkeling in simpler terms than in the friendship between snorkeling and coral reef.
However, this article does not claim to have presented an exhaustive list of why this is so.