how the ocean reefs teach us about balance
The mesoamerican barrier reef is the second largest reef system in the world and stretches from the Yucantan Peninsula in Mexico, down past Belize ending by the Bay Islands of Honduras. A small section of this reef, the Palancar Reef at the South end of the Cozumel Island was discovered in 1959 and publicized by Jacques Cousteau and is now one of the most favored diving destinations in the world. Despite the importance of the diving industry to the island in the 1990s a number of deep water cruise docks were built (another one being built as we speak) which is said to have caused significant damage to the reefs.
I fell in love with the beauty and diversity of coral life when I started diving. Coral is not what I thought it to be from what I saw in pictures and TV. It's incredibly diverse, colorful, it is alive (coral is an animal by the way, not a plant as some think) and because of that it is extremely fragile. Although most of us never get to see coral underwater, they are highly important to the balance of life above water, for many reason, but mainly for these three:
1. They feed us - their biological diversity and production is estimated to feed 30-40 million people a year.
2. They keep the carbone dioxide (CO2) balance in the water by turning CO2 into lime.
3. They protect the coasts from erosion by slowing down the water surge.
Being under water puts everything in perspective for me - it reminds me of balance. Every reef creature is connected with all other creatures on the reef and the reef itself. If I could observe us humans in our earthly habitats the same way I can observe the creatures on a reef I may realize that we are just as interconnected with our environment. But being here on land doesn't give me the same perspective as hovering above a reef. However, while my memories of the reef last I hope to remember we are a bit of a reef too - diverse, interconnected, alive, strong, beautiful, yet delicate.
