If you’re fortunate enough to have your own boat, you probably enjoy the freedom and beauty you find each time you set out, either for a dive trip or for a simple cruise around your local waterway. Boaters enjoy the unique opportunity to encounter wildlife, dive and snorkel, and simply relax and take in the breathtaking scenery that abounds once populated areas have faded off into the distance. To keep on enjoying these experiences, it’s important to be a good steward of the marine environment. Here, we’ve assembled some easy tips for keeping boating green.
Choose Chemicals Wisely
Chemicals are everywhere; we use them on our lawns, in our homes, and on our boats. Choose your chemicals wisely, focusing on environmentally friendly products that are completely biodegradable, and you’ll be doing waterways a favor.
Fill Her Up – The 90% Rule
When you fill your car with gas, it’s never a bad idea to allow the pump to run and stop on its own. The rules are a bit different for fueling boats. Fill your boat’s tank to just 90% of full capacity to reduce the chance that fuel will overflow into the water. In addition, keep spare fuel tanks tightly capped and try to refuel only when conditions are ideal. Not only is this a good way to keep fuel out of the water, it’s a great way to ensure your money isn’t wasted on spillage.
Help Keep Waterways Clean
Most boaters know that tossing trash overboard is a bad idea – not only is it harmful to the environment, in many places you can be fined for littering and for discharging sewage into open water. Take a net with you for picking up garbage you encounter while boating, and dispose of it properly once you reach shore. Who knows – you might even find something worth keeping or selling among the flotsam you retrieve.
Report Dumping
Besides keeping tabs on your own trash and bringing back any litter you happen to find, be sure to report illegal dumping to your local U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office. It is illegal to discard plastic trash of any kind, and some things can cause engine clogs, entangle propellers, and even cause hull damage. Many types of trash leach toxic chemicals into the water, and cleanup can be costly. Get identifying information from the boat responsible including any numbers and a good description of the boat’s type, size, color, and any other identifying marks. If you can, provide the Coast Guard with a description of the person or people who did the dumping.
Anchor Appropriately
As scuba divers, we tend to anchor a little more often than some other recreational boaters do. When choosing a site for anchoring, be sure to use the right kind of ground tackle for the seabed, whether it’s mud, sand, or rock. Avoid anchoring in areas where seagrass grows, and use existing mooring buoys as often as possible when they are available. When you drop anchor, lower your anchor slowly, listening for a scraping noise that indicate you’ve hit the reef. If this happens, choose another spot to avoid further damage. Using charts or your depth finder can help you locate a good place to anchor.
These are just a few tips for boating in an environmentally conscious way. Learn and follow rules for navigation, avoid grounding your boat, and always verify that your vessel is free from any hitchhiking plant or animal life before leaving the water. These simple, common-sense actions will help you – and all who enjoy our oceans, lakes, and waterways – to keep on reveling in the unique natural beauty aquatic environments provide.