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Divernet News, dateline 20 September 2004
SA divers object to marine park charges South African divers have supported the creation of marine parks, but are now angry at new proposals that target divers as the only sportspeople who will be charged to use them.
South Africa's first protected marine reserve was declared in 1964, and the latest areas to
be protected were declared in June 2004: Marine parks now cover around 15 percent of the South African coast, and many divers and dive operators have lobbied to extend the marine reserves, believing that the marine life and reefs would be protected from fishing and souvenir hunting. However, less welcome is the news that under new proposals in the Marine Living Resources Act, divers are the only group who will end up paying for access to these 4 new areas. If the proposals are agreed, divers will have to pay an annual permit of R75, equivalent to around £6.50 sterling, and dive operators will pay R10,000 - around £850 sterling to visit the marine reserves from January 2005. Surfers, snorkellers, swimmers and any others involved in watersports will not have to pay for a permit. The Environment Minister will also be in a position to limit the number of permits issued, though no guidelines on how this will be determined have been published. Many divers believe that the sport is being unfairly targeted, and are angry at claims by the Marine Coastal Management government agency that divers have caused damage to the reefs. "They say scuba divers have caused damage to reefs, and we've asked to see the research ... but they have never passed it on. I don't believe they have done any research. "I've been diving here for 30 years and I can tell you that the impact scuba divers have had is absolutely negligible. To say we have to be permitted because we cause damage is disingenuous. One winter storm destroys more marine wildlife than a million scuba divers in 100 years" claims local scuba diving representative Cleeve Robertson. A marine scientist from Marine Coastal Management admitted that damage caused by scuba divers is negligible compared with pollution or fishing. More links of interest Monty Halls at Aliwal shoal Gavin Parsons dives with tiger sharks in South Africa News Index Page 
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