Underwater Scavenger hunt involving critters??!!

[nwscubamom]

I saw this in a recent email from a Seattle area dive club, and have to admit while the concept is fun, part of the list of items get me a bit up-in-arms! Some of the items are just plain tongue-in-cheek (a Sixgill?!) and done in jest - but others are quite serious (catching Sturgeon Poachers, small halibut, etc)

And some of it's just plain stupid. Anyone going after a Ratfish is going to get what they deserve - a toxic spine in their flesh. Ow.

Read on....

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The annual scavenger hunt is always a lot of fun for those who go
diving. The preliminary list of items, on the website notice, includes
a tubesnout, flounder and sixgill. But, I didn't tell you then is that
the Tubesnout is worth 5 points, the easy to catch flounder is one
point, and the 'never seen on a scavenger hunt' sixgill is worth 10
points.

Only one item or fish per dive team is counted. I can just see
someone loading up their goody bag on flounders or red rocks.
A clam shell with barnacle or crab with barnacles counts as two points
since each is on the list.

This is catch and release, unless you want to take home the coonstripe
shrimp for your aquarium. I will bring a few baggies for you to stow
those tube snouts.

This event is always a lot of fun. Extra points have been given for catching a tube snout or surf perch in past events. Aluminum cans will be back on the list by popular demand, but please don't use that as an excuse to pollute.

Preliminary list of items to find:
Dive buddy
Bull Kelp
Aluminum can
Anemone - Small Green
Barnacle
Brick - Red or Orange
Crab - Any type (dead or alive)
clam
Eel grass, one strand
piece of glass or bottle
Flounder
Golf ball - any color
Green rock
Halibut - small
Sturgeon Poacher
Surf Perch - in a baggie
Sixgill
Starfish
Ratfish
Shrimp
--------------------------------

So, let's see....let's go pick up the fish and put them in goody bags or ziplocs, or maul them in the process of trying to catch them so we can earn points for this game? And of course if we take them home to our aquarium - we have the proper permits? And since it's 'catch and release' no harm, no foul, right?

tsk tsk - I would expect way better from divers trying to protect the marine environment and be advocates for responsible usage.

Why not stick to non-living objects for the scavenger hunt, or use PHOTOS as a means of getting points instead?

- Janna

[Grateful Diver]

Hmmmm ... probably well-intentioned, but not reall well thought out.

I mean, c'mon ... how can you have a real northwest scavenger hunt without including octopus, wolf eels, grunt sculpins or red irish lords ???

Seriously, I suspect that even the most careful handling of some of these critters will result in their injury or death. I would think that anyone promoting such an event for a dive club would want to consider the maxim "do no harm" ... (and I would like to believe they meant to) ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Zen Diver]

Wow, certianly does not seem well thought out at all. My first instinct was like yours Janna, why not take pix of the said critters instead?

-Valerie

[gomi_otaku]

Did you send a nasty note to said *local* dive club? And does anyone here want to admit belonging to this sad club? How do they keep members, one would think people would quit the club over this kind of behavior. Maybe you should out them on this board. That's just distasteful and pretty much against any modern diving standards, even those espoused by the dive hunting community.
gomi_

[nwscubamom]

For what it's worth, this was the Boeing Seahorses - a club with an EXCELLENT reputation in the dive community and has been around for a long time. I've never had anything but positive experiences with them in the past, so no, I'm not about to write a nasty letter.

Some of my very favorite dive community leaders have been past officers of this club. We're talking about some really good people here.

I may however write a tactful letter that suggests some alternatives that might be better suited...

- Janna

[nwscubamom]

Just a followup - I wrote the letter last night and got a nice reply this morning from the dive leader - he's going to switch things up and change the way they do the hunt! Woo hoo!

Long live the Toobsnots!

- Janna

[Cold_H2O]

Glad to hear they are going to make some changes.

Hate seeing the critters stressed or damaged.

[Sounder]

How about adding a section of DIT umbillical (remember, you must harvest while you're diving)??? Darn... I bet that would have been worth lots of points! I could have won!

[Seth T.]

Glad they're going to change things a bit. This is certianly NOT the best way to do things.

[nwscubamom]

Yeah, in his response, he said they'd just been doing it this way for so long he didn't realize they'd crossed the line when they begun adding in marine life onto the list. The Sixgills, tubesnouts and others were added in jest, not thinking anyone would actually attempt it! (which, apparently they have)

He brought up a good point that competition can bring out the worst in people - amen to that!

Kudos to the Seahorses for recognizing and being willing to change up a long-standing tradition!!

- Janna

[Seth T.]

He brought up a good point that competition can bring out the worst in people - amen to that!

- Janna

Yeah, like diving nude in our COLD water!

[nwscubamom]

Hey I didn't say it!

[I may have thought it, but I didn't say it!!!]

hehe!!

- Janna

[Grateful Diver]

He brought up a good point that competition can bring out the worst in people - amen to that!

- Janna

Yeah, like diving nude in our COLD water!

... that would bring in the worst ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)