A different dive

How do you dive without getting wet? Well, one way to do so is in a submarine. Here in the marina of San Miguel in Tenerife is a small yellow submarine that takes visitors on an hour’s trip outside the marina to enjoy the marine life. So for the first time we joined a trip. While it was fun, it was also work.

We stepped on board the submarine just ahead of the rest of the passengers and took our allocated seats just behind the pilots, Victor Fernandez Hernandez and Enrique Arteta, at the front of the sub. The pilots of course have the biggest windows on the vessel, so from there we had a wonderful view and could film out of the front window, out of the side windows and back into the submarine. During the trip Naomi Houldsworth, the guide, continuously explained to the passengers what they were seeing, pointing out the school of Bastard Grunts, the Garden Eels on the sandy bottom, and the Bogues that followed the submarine throughout its trip.

Business interests merge with conservation

So why was Morganonline on board a tourist submarine filming?
Submarine Safaris SL, which has only been operating in San Miguel for about six months, is a commercial operation that makes its money from the sea. It therefore has a vested interest in protecting the small strip of the Tenerife coast where the submarine cruises. In a couple of conversations with the General Manager, Rony Bacqué, it became clear that Submarine Safaris together with Marina San Miguel, takes the protection of the area seriously, and not only from a business perspective but also out of conviction that the marine environment in Tenerife has been over exploited and needs protection and conservation. This conviction was strongly echoed by Steve Bunce, operations manager, the pilots and the divers and other staff. Our interest in the interface between the economy and the ecology is what led us to start talking to José Antonio Tavio of the Marina and to Rony. As newly established companies, Submarine Safaris and Marina San Miguel have only just started to take steps to protect the area, but they have plenty of plans and ideas involving various parties. We hope to be able to follow the implementation of these plans during our stay in the Canary Islands.

Keeping the seas clean and healthy

In the meantime, watching the passengers, and especially the children, made me think. As divers we are spoiled. We take for granted the time that we can spend in the wonderful world under the surface, and we forget that not everybody has access to this world. Now that I saw the pleasure on the faces of the passengers, it reminded me of my very first dives, when I could hardly concentrate on my training as I was so captivated by the sight of fish swimming around me. Trips like this one introduce people to the sea and contribute to their appreciation for the marine environment. From there it is a small jump for these same people to share their experience with their friends, and to start thinking about what they themselves can do to keep the seas clean and healthy.

The images that we took today will be used for a short film for our website. We will also be able to use some of the images in a longer film. 

Our thanks to Rony Bacqué for arranging today and for our ongoing discussions. Also to Steve Bunce for organising everything on the ground for us.