G'day Vicky & List,

I've had the same issue a few times.
I got berated once for collecting a nice fresh dead cowrie (in Vanuatu). Maybe he was just jealous he hadn't found it!?
What really amused me though was one time when I was treated like a 'freak'/ 'leaper' for collecting a live Cypraea 'zoila' venusta on a dive yet other divers on the same dive & boat had collected a couple of crays each!
I really can't see the difference. In fact I'm sure I did less damage to the environment on that dive than cray bashing!?

Also another dive when the divemaster (and dive buddy) was shocked I collected a crabbed shell specimen (uncommon shell in good condition) on a scallop dive. That same dive master had close to their quota of scallops while I had less scallops and a couple of fresh dead shells incl. the crabbed specimen. Weird!

I usually now either collect by stealth or just don't bother trying to collect on Charter dives.
I usually also try and check out their policy beforhand if i can!
We are usually only talking 1 - 3 (5 shells at most) on a charter dive. I find it really difficult usually to collect shells on a Charter dive!
One dive master in Vietnam did explain he wasn't keen on live shell collecting (when I asked him) but had no problem with dead shells (in fact he collected dead shells himself). That was fine. On the dives we did together I only collected dead/ fresh dead shells.

That's why now I usually try and Shore dive as much as I can.
Truth be known I have probably collected better & more interesting shells by Shore diving (particularly at Night) than from Charter boat dives. Boat dives from a private boat are different but I haven't been fortunate to be able to do that many of those!

Simon
Melbourne, Australia



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have had several divemasters get touchy about shell collecting. But not one of them
cautioned tourist divers why they should take care diving around coral. More damage was
done there than any shell collecting I did.

Vicky Wall, Mayodan, NC

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