by L.B. Woodgate

Created on: July 25, 2010   Last Updated: July 26, 2010

One of the many industries that has suffered economic hardship from the BP oil spill is recreational scuba diving and yet of all that has happened, scuba diving may be the least touched by the oil spill in the Gulf and perhaps may avoid the larger impact of this oil industry failure.  This positive assessment was expressed in a report in the NY Times on June 25th stating that “most researchers have said that if any oil gets pulled into currents that take it past the Keys, it would probably be so diluted by then that it would pose little risk to organisms.”

Tom Ingram, Executive Director of Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) is also optimistic.  “The entire recreational diving industry has been impacted by this environmental tragedy – by the actual damage to sensitive wetlands and aquatic resources, and also by the perception that all recreational diving and fishing has been halted due to the spill. This perception is far from the reality. A great majority of Florida Gulf Coastal waters are clear, clean and oil free and most of the area in the Gulf region is 'open for business' for scuba diving, snorkeling and other water-sports activities," says Mr. Ingram. ('Gulf State Diving' Website Shares Accurate & Timely News About Scuba Diving Conditions in the Gulf Region, NEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire)

Recreational scuba diving is a big draw in the Gulf, especially in Florida.   The web-site Force-E informs us that “Florida is the center of scuba diving in the U.S. [where] diving is the most diverse. There are more dive shops and dive boats in Southeast Florida [and they have] the largest artificial reef and wreck program in the country. “   The area between the mainland and the Florida Keys has some of the most aesthetically rich and appealing underwater spectacles for both novice and pro scuba divers.

This stretch of the Gulf coast line has yet to suffer the ill effects of the oil that gushed out of the BP wellhead for nearly three months until recently capped.  It is in an area of the Gulf Stream that winds around Florida and up the Eastern seaboard, shooting back out into the Atlantic off of the North Carolina outer banks.  So far the surface oil slicks, tar balls, underwater oil plumes and dispersant have yet to reach most of the Florida coastline and continental shelf.  Pensacola and the western end of the Florida panhandle are the exception.

Another state

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