50 Years, just 50 years!

What's 50 years in the life of a diver? A long, long time, indeed. 50 years ago, there were few divers. 50 years from now, there may not be any recreational divers.

"Whattaya talkin' about, Bruddah?" you ask. It's simple, really. The way our planet is changing, environmentally, these next few decades (who knows how many?) may be the last years to enjoy scuba diving as a sport. After that, scuba divers will be researchers trying to find out what went wrong.

So, as I've said before, now is the time to get certified. If you are certified and haven't been 'in' lately, get back in the water. If you are actively diving today, enjoy your underwater surroundings, and lament those who are missing what you enjoy on each entrance into our ocean realm. 50 years. That figure is so important. They say it will take 50 years for the Mediterranean to recover from today's existing pollution - that is, if all polluting stopped today.

50 years. In five decades we've seen millions (perhaps billions) of marine species become extinct. Who was it who said, "Extinction is forever?" 50 years. Since 1954 the average ocean temperature, worldwide, has risen a few degrees - experts tell us that temperature could rise several degrees in the next 50 years.

50 years. An average lifetime for some endangered sea turtles. But, consider this, within 50 years there won't be any of those turtles to live a lifetime.

What are we doing about this seemingly futuristic fantasy? Not much, really. Most of the public does not dive. A sad fact, but true. I contend if more people entered the sea to see what we see, they too would become concerned with what we observe almost every day.

The sea is not a never-ending cornucopia - as many prefer to believe. The vastness of an ocean vista is deceiving too many pseudo-experts. They are looking over the sea, not looking deeply into it.

Let's look further than just around the corner, or over the next wave. Let's consider these next 50 years the most important decades on earth, for they may well be. Let's use them to refuse to over-harvest, to refuse to continue to pollute. Let's make the next five decades, the next 50 years, our years to serve the ocean as it has served us for the past 50 years. Let's treat the seas gently, and nurture this wet world back to health. It can be done. Frankly, it must be done if we are going to have an ocean planet after the next 50 years.