Underwater Impact and Intention–Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China

Jun-Yin So (), Ying Kwok, Christie Lai, Hei-Wut Fong and Lee-Yan Pang
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Jun-Yin So: WWF-Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Ying Kwok: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China
Christie Lai: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China
Hei-Wut Fong: School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
Lee-Yan Pang: WWF-Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Recreational diving, under the continual growth of the scuba diving industry, may escalate coral reef damage as one of the substantial anthropogenic impacts and is of pressing concern. Besides unregulated and excessive diving activities, accidental contact with corals by inexperienced divers can cause recurring physical damage and heighten the pressure on coral communities. Understanding the ecological impacts of underwater contact with marine biota will thus be crucial to develop more sustainable scuba diving practices in Hong Kong. To probe the scuba diving impacts of divers’ contact with coral communities, WWF-Hong Kong started a citizen science monitoring programme and invited 52 advanced divers to conduct direct underwater observations. Questionnaires were also developed to examine and address the research gap between the associated attitudes and the perceived contact rate of divers. Results from analysing the underwater behaviours of 102 recreational divers showed inconsistent perceived and actual contact rates. It was revealed that recreational divers might often overlook the ecological effects of their activities underwater on coral communities. The questionnaire findings will be utilised to improve the framework of the dive-training programmes and enhance divers’ awareness to minimise their influence on the marine environment.

Keywords: scuba diving; environmental impact; citizen science; corals; marine biota (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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