It took millions of years for humans to evolve from apes and develop self-consciousness, yet our ability to quantify the cosmos has largely unfolded only in the past five centuries. But awareness of Earth’s cosmic cycles has been continuously held by some of the oldest creatures on the planet: the corals and sponges of the world’s tropical reefs. 1
Coral reefs are some of our world’s most beautiful natural wonders. They add some of the most vibrant colors found in nature to our oceans and are responsible for the habitats in which many ocean creatures live. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we do everything in our power to protect our reefs.
The commercialization of scuba diving plays a major role in the destruction of our coral reefs. As a massive number of divers are certified every year, that brings even more human interaction with our oceans. Divers cause great pressure on our coral reefs, as well as on many other oceanic habitats around the world. While some divers do not harm the ocean, unaware divers who are not yet capable cause the most harm, often through unintentional contact with the reefs or by accidentally kicking coral or other organisms.
Although some argue that the commercialization of scuba diving brings more awareness to the oceans through involving the masses, research shows that underwater, the commercialization of scuba diving has negative effects on our oceans’ underwater ecosystems, due to physical diver contact on the reefs by breaking coral or hurting organisms, and oversaturation of divers in a given dive location.
How Divers Damage Reefs–Often Without Realizing It
The commercialization of the scuba diving industry must change, as there is a high number of unaware divers causing damage, such as coral breakage from kicks or grabs, sea floor disturbances from poor buoyancy control, and direct harm to marine life through chasing or touching animals underwater. A 2017 study, "Scuba Diving Damage on Coralligenous Builders: Bryozoan Species as an Indicator of Stress," published in Frontiers in Marine Science, reports that the negative effects of scuba diving on the Mediterranean Sea have been widespread. Casoli and colleagues wrote in their accredited findings that, in the Mediterranean, the effects of scuba diving activities have been assessed mainly in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Di Franco recognized marine caves and coralligenous bottoms as habitats most frequented by scuba divers, and therefore as those also most vulnerable to impact and degradation. Focusing on coralligenous habitat, studies have reported diving impacts on reef builders or fragile organisms, such as gorgonians, bryozoans, and ascidians.2 Casoli’s research demonstrates that the habitats most impacted by scuba divers, such as marine caves and coralligenous reefs, are also some of the most ecologically vulnerable. It sheds light on how divers often cause harm to fragile reef organisms, such as coral builders, which the Earth desperately needs. These coral builders grow over such long time periods and average only 5-10 cm of growth per year that when thousands of divers come through any given dive site, the corals cannot keep up with the damage caused. Large amounts of diver activity, even if accidental, cause massive amounts of harm to reef ecosystems. The ability of scientists to measure the damage so easily is a testament to how much damage is caused by unaware divers not understanding the gravity of their actions.
Coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems that protect coastlines from storms, support fish populations, and provide food for millions of people. This supports how important it is for the diving industry to improve its education and practices to reduce the harm done to our reefs. The research paper from Japan supports this idea. In the "Importance of Environmental Briefing and Buoyancy Control on Reducing Negative Impacts of SCUBA Diving on Coral Reefs" written in May of 2015 Junko Toyoshima and Kazuo Nadaoka, presented data on how big an impact divers going through a buoyancy control course have on the number of contacts with reefs, as they recorded in Figure 1.3 Divers without a proper understanding of buoyancy control, have significantly more total contacts with substrate during a dive. The results also indicate that carrying a camera has a slightly increased frequency of contacts among less experienced divers.
Lack of skill in buoyancy control is directly proportional to reef damage. When divers damage corals, they weaken a system that sustains human life with food as much as it does marine life. Poor buoyancy control results in significantly more accidental kicks, grabs, etc. with reefs, proving that diver training is a key factor in lessening the damage caused by recreational diving. These results highlight that improving diver skills can greatly reduce reef harm. Similarly, Di Camillo and colleagues’ paper helps to start this process of change for the better.
Marine biologist Cristina Gioia Di Camillo, lead author of "Towards Blue Diving: Analysis and Solutions to Prevent Scuba Diving Impact in the Mediterranean Sea", writes that there are steps needed to get closer to better treatment of our oceans, like identifying harmful behaviors of divers. She writes that key factors leading to environmentally harmful behaviors by scuba divers were identified, distinguishing between intrinsic (i.e., directly related to the divers, also known as behavioral determinants) and extrinsic (i.e., depending on the surrounding environment) ones. Then, a strategy to promote pro-environmental behavior in scuba divers and to limit damage to marine communities is proposed.
There are two main types of environmental harm caused by divers: intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Camillo argues that targeting these specific issues and creating strategies to improve underwater behavior can lead to greatly improved treatment of our reefs. The driving reason divers cause such harm to reefs is that many are simply not educated enough to avoid contact with reefs. This highlights that the industry could be much better at providing countermeasures for the harm caused by divers. Losing reefs also means losing biodiversity in our oceans, similar to rainforests; species depend on reefs for life just as much as land animals depend on habitats like rainforests. The ways divers cause harm are already very well known; now it is up to the industry to better itself and help to save our oceans.
In conclusion, by recognizing how diver skill and behavior, as well as industry practices, contribute to the harm of our reefs, the scuba diving industry is given an opportunity – and what should be an obligation – to create solutions that help protect these fragile ecosystems, while still allowing the amazing experience we all love, scuba diving.
When Too Many Divers Become a Problem
Secondly, similarly to reef damage, high diving pressure (high amounts of diving in a given location) can cause adverse effects on our reefs. Some of the issues with high diving pressure are decreased reef resilience from stress, physical damage to coral reefs and other habitats due to boat traffic and anchorage, and impacts on species’ natural behaviors. "Underwater Impact and Intention-Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China" is an article written by Jun-Yun So and colleagues and published by Marine Pollution Bulletin in February 2023. The article warns that recreational diving 
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under the current growth path may very well increase coral reef damage by a significant margin, and that this 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.5
As the scuba diving industry continues to expand rapidly, diving pressure increases at the same relative rate, and reef damage becomes an urgent problem. Unregulated diving and accidental contact by inexperienced divers lead to repeated coral breakage, in turn causing large amounts of stress on coral reefs all over the world. The commercialization of scuba diving is contributing to the large amount of pressure being put on our coral communities by increasing the number of divers. If we can better control the number of undereducated individuals who receive scuba diving certifications, we can directly lower damage to coral populations. Protecting our reefs also ensures that we can continue to enjoy the beauty and tourism that reefs support.
Looking past diver contact, another pressing issue in the diving industry is increased boat traffic in areas with coral reefs. Additionally, Marine ecologist Rebecca L. Flynn, in her study "Boat Anchoring Contributes Substantially to Coral Reef Degradation in the British Virgin Islands," published in "Marine Ecology Progress Series" in May 2019, sheds light on the scary numbers that are reflective of the harsh damage boat anchoring does to coral populations. She found that hard coral colonies were ?40% smaller in surface area and ?60% less dense at sites experiencing high anchoring frequency. In addition, highly anchored sites supported only ?60% of the species richness of the less anchored sites. Frequently anchored sites were ?60% as structurally complex and supported less than half as many fish as those rarely anchored, with five of seven fish functional groups affected.6 Frequent boat anchoring, which is most often connected to dive tourism outfitters that take individuals by boat to popular dive locations, causes massive damage to coral size, density, and species diversity. Anchoring also reduces fish population diversity in accordance with corals. The commercial diving industry not only harms reefs through diver contact, but also through boat anchorage, as they bring divers to certain locations to dive. Healthy reefs generate billions of dollars of income for coastal cities. Reducing diver impact enables those cities to continue to earn revenue from the oceans. The damage caused by boat anchorage is another example of the poor practices of the diving industry having a major impact on reef health and diversity. High amounts of scuba diving not only cause damage to corals, but they also cause notable effects on fish population, health, and diversity.
Lastly, in their article "Quantifying Relative Diver Effects in Underwater Visual Censuses," published in "Marine Biology," researchers Luke Dickens and colleagues recorded shocking data on the effect of scuba diving on fish populations. Using common UVC methods, they recorded the abundance of seven reef fish groups significantly affected by the ongoing presence of scuba divers. Overall, the diver effect resulted in a 52% decrease in the mean number of individuals recorded, with declines of up to 70% in individual families.7 In essence, the presence of scuba divers can decrease the number of individuals and family groups by more than half. Divers not only affect coral ecosystems but also cause a notable adverse effect on fish populations, disrupting the natural behavioral patterns that these fish would exhibit if undisturbed by diving presence. These decreases can harm their feeding and reproduction processes, as well as harm overall habitat health due to decreased populations. Reef conservation is so important because once corals die, the reefs take decades or even centuries to recover, therefore affecting fish populations for a very long time. Overall, the combined diver inexperience, destructive anchoring practices, and disrupted fish behavior demonstrate how the industry’s current practices do not consider the health of the oceans when assessing their best interests.
The Benefits are Real–But are They Enough?
Finally, some argue that there are benefits of scuba diving, such as tourism profits, awareness brought to the ocean, and socio-economic growth, which justify the damage done by scuba divers. These benefits are real, but do not outweigh the environmental impact created by scuba diving. Marine biologist Di Camillo, in a 2025 research paper written with her colleagues, talks about the real benefits of the enlargement of the scuba diving industry. She states that the exponential growth of recreational scuba diving has led to various socio-economic benefits, including the possibility to collect data underwater, the emergence of many citizen science initiatives worldwide, and the development of a new tourism form.4 The vast growth of the scuba diving industry over the last decade has brought a booming economy to places that needed it, a new way to collect underwater data, and a new form of tourism. Scuba diving, when looked at in a positive light, is great for our oceans and is more than a simple recreational activity. Scuba diving creates many job opportunities, fueling our economies, funds environmental protection, and can introduce people to the amazing underwater world and bring awareness to our oceans. This is why some advocates view scuba diving as a net positive, despite the environmental impacts.
While these economic and scientific benefits are important, they do not outweigh the harsh damage that scuba divers do to our underwater ecosystems daily. On the contrary, a 2013 peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Management by marine scientist Ronan Roche and his colleagues, which looked at recreational diver impacts from several reef sites, noted that: 88 % made contact with the reef at least once per dive, with a mean contact rate of 0.12 ± 0.01 per min … Divers from operators with high levels of compliance with the Green Fins programme, which is is a marine operation that protects and conserves coral reefs through pushing sustainable marine tourism, exhibited significantly lower reef contact rates than those from dive operators with low levels of compliance.8 Nearly all recreational divers cause harm to reefs; the small percentage who do not likely are skilled divers who have gone through higher certification courses. However, when dive outfitters follow the strict guidelines set by the Green Fins programme, divers cause notably less harm. Divers causing harm to reefs is not unavoidable; if the diving industry takes the steps to outline firm rules about diving and improves diver education, a strong positive impact can be made for our oceans. Caring for our reefs is not only an environmental issue, but a socio-economic issue as well, and something that everyone should strive for.
In short, while large-scale scuba diving does undoubtedly have its benefits, the benefits can only outweigh the negatives if the industry takes action to enforce safeguards to protect our reefs.
A Call for a Needed Change in the Industry
The scuba diving industry is full of adventure and exploration for those seeking to connect with our oceans; however, there must be change regarding the massive amounts of damage being done to coral reefs and to other underwater ecosystems. As shown through a multitude of scientific studies, undertrained or careless divers cause widespread damage to our underwater ecosystems through direct contact, poor buoyancy control, and disturbing marine life. Similarly, due to the high amount of diving pressure, so many divers going through any given area causes environmental pressure on the surrounding corals and different species. This high amount of pressure on already fragile organisms causes stress, which leads to population thinning and/or diminishing. Though some sources argue that scuba diving supports economic growth, the negative effects caused by commercial diving outweigh the positives.
Protecting our reefs, I believe, should be at the forefront of our consciences, especially that of scuba divers. Scuba diving is something that gives me more joy than any other activity in my life. I feel connected with the ocean and animals swimming around me. When I see other divers breaking corals, chasing after fish, and stirring up sediment, it shows just how real this problem is. It shows how the diving industry has failed so many people, as poor education is a large cause of our reefs’ suffering. I believe that the diving industry is fully aware of the damage that they are causing, and there have been many studies that even just a small amount of extra education greatly decreases the damage caused by divers underwater. If divers, outfitters, and policymakers come together on the common idea that we need to preserve our oceans, we can ensure that future generations can enjoy the thriving coral reefs as we have now. Coral reefs that will provide for the villages, towns, and cities that reside near them for years to come.
Footnotes
1 Foord, Colin. On the Brain Stone and the Coral of Life, 2016.
2 Casoli et al. Scuba Diving Damage on Coralligenous Builders: Bryozoan Species as an Indicator of Stress, 2017.
3 Toyoshima and Nadaoka. Importance of environmental briefing and buoyancy control on reducing negative impacts of SCUBA diving on coral reefs,2015.
4 Di Camillo et al. Towards blue diving: analysis and solutions to prevent scuba diving impact in the Mediterranean Sea, 2025.
5 Jun-Yin So et al. Underwater Impact and Intention-Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China, 2023.
6 Flynn and Forrester. Boat anchoring contributes substantially to coral reef degradation in the British Virgin Islands, 2019.
7 Dickens, L et al. Quantifying relative diver effects in underwater visual censuses, 2011.
8 Roche, R et al. Recreational Diving Impacts on Coral Reefs and the Adoption of Environmentally Responsible Practices within the SCUBA Diving Industry, 2016.
Works Cited
Casoli, E., et al. "Scuba Diving Damage on Coralligenous Builders: Bryozoan Species as an Indicator of Stress." Ecological Indicators, vol. 74, Mar. 2017, pp. 441-50. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.12.005. Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.
Di Camillo, Cristina Gioia, et al. "Towards blue diving: analysis and solutions to prevent scuba diving impact in the Mediterranean sea." Ocean and Coastal Management, vol. 269, Oct. 2025. Gale In Context: Environmental Studies, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107833. Accessed 15 Sept. 2025.
Dickens, Luke C et al. "Quantifying relative diver effects in underwater visual censuses." PloS one vol. 6,4 e18965. 21 Apr. 2011, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018965.
Flynn, Rebecca L, and Graham E Forrester. "Boat anchoring contributes substantially to coral reef degradation in the British Virgin Islands." PeerJ vol. 7 e7010. 23 May. 2019, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7010.
Roche, Ronan C., et al. "Recreational Diving Impacts on Coral Reefs and the Adoption of Environmentally Responsible Practices within the SCUBA Diving Industry." Environmental Management, vol. 58, no. 1, 7 Apr. 2016, pp. 107-16. Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-016-0696-0.
So, Jun-Yin, et al. ‘Underwater Impact and Intention-Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China’. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 5, Feb. 2023, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053896.
Toyoshima, Junko, and Kazuo Nadaoka. Importance of environmental briefing and buoyancy control on reducing negative impacts of SCUBA diving on coral reefs. 14 July 2015. ScienceDirect, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0964569115001714?via%3Dihub. Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.
The writer of this paper, 16 year-old Logan Asport, lives in Oakland, California, and is a certified diver.