Ocean Life - Diver education: shielding fragile corals from accidental strikes

Coral polyps require thousands of years to build massive reef structures, yet fragile branching stony corals can be damaged in seconds by scuba divers. Contact injuries often occur when clumsy swimming, poor buoyancy, or loose equipment gauges strike the delicate carbonate skeletons. However, conservation research shows that diver behavior can be improved rapidly. Providing divers with a forty-five-minute educational presentation on coral biology alongside a brief in-water trim demonstration significantly reduces the physical impact visitors inflict on protected marine reefs.

Source: Wikipedia