Member to Member: Cutting for Conservation

Far offshore in the Pacific Ocean, we are looking for signs of pelagic life. The rounded head and shell of a turtle occasionally break the flat, blue surface. I jump in with a snorkel in hope of a close encounter, but so far each turtle has made a rapid exit into the depths as I approached. Undeterred, I clamber back on board and tell myself the next one will be friendlier.

When we see another turtle a little later, I am glad it stays in place as I approach it. Finding the turtle entangled in a deep-sea fishing pot line, however, soon eradicates my optimism. This loggerhead, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species classifies as vulnerable to extinction, is thrashing against the binding rope in a desperate attempt to break free.

A loggerhead turtle tries desperately to free itself from a fishing pot line far out at sea.

I put aside my camera and make a quick tour around the loggerhead to survey the situation. Maneuvering carefully for fear of causing further harm or being bitten by the panicking turtle, I manage to unloop some of the rope from the animal. It remains trapped, however, as part of the rope is tightly coiled around its right flipper. With only one free hand to work with (the other tightly grasps the camera) and without a cutting device, I shout to the boat for help.

Mark and Kim, freediving photographers from Hawaii, quickly join me, bringing with them extra hands and a dive knife. Freeing the turtle from its last binds requires us to work close to the highly stressed animal that is fearing for its life. The in-water commotion attracts some curious sea lions that dip and dive while watching this unusual spectacle. After a few tense moments, the turtle is free and escapes to the deep.

While working as a dive professional, I always carried a cutting device, which I rarely used. Although required by standards, it seemed like a “nice to have” rather than “need to have” piece of equipment, and the risk of entanglement is minimal while diving on coral reefs. Plus carrying a big knife in the water seemed to me to reflect a kind of diving machismo, which I abhorred.

Share Your Story

Do you have tips, advice, travel strategies, dive techniques, lessons learned or other words of wisdom to share with your fellow divers? Alert Diver wants your story! Email it to , or mail it to “Member to Member,” c/o Alert Diver, 6 W. Colony Place, Durham, NC 27705.

This experience off Mexico’s Pacific coastline, however, taught me that cutting devices have a place on every dive trip. In a sea fraught with more and more dangers for marine life, carrying a cutting device is just as much about rescuing corals from ghost-fishing nets or animals from discarded rope and plastic as it is about saving yourself or your buddy.