Tourism

Sea Urchins. Notice how close this picture is...there was no diving involved when taking this picture.
You can see all of the group out there in the water (those little spots are their heads).

We got a little more experiece in the tourism industry this past weekend on our trip to Manzanillo and Puerto Viejo.

What I really want to focus on was our snorkeling trip that we took on Saturday morning. I understand the benefits of bringing income to those who do not have opportunities and how it helps the economny, but I also see the downside of ecotourism. On our trip to snorkel in the Caribbean, I was given the perfect example.

I remember learning about El Niño in eight grade science class and how it was killing the coral reefs. I also learned alot about the subject in my oceanography class Sophomore year. What I found on our trip was that the protection of the reefs wasnt stressed as much as I was expecting. We snorkeled very close the reefs. You could touch them by simply putting your hand down as you were swimming around. Also, when the waves moved you around, you had a good chance of running into the coral like I did when I bumped my knee. It was very suprising to me that we were taken so close to this natural being when its so important to preserve them.

After experiencing the snorkeling trip, it made me realize that ecotourism can be benefical when put into practice correctly. It may bring income to those in need but without their understanding of why the tourists are there, the environment may be destroyed more than sustained.