A Scientist, a Whale and a Tourist Walk into a Bar…
Meredith Bean McMath
If you could place Australia’s Great Barrier Reef along the east coast of America, the thing would stretch from Maine to Florida. At twelve hundred miles long, the Great Barrier Reef (or GBR) is indeed great, the largest coral marine system on the planet and the only living entity able to be seen from space.
But you just can’t settle for satellite photos, because the mind-boggling, life-altering effect of the Reef can only be had up close, when you find yourself staring at a fish ten inches away with a shape and color combination so surreal you doubt your eyes. The fish who finds you equally intriguing will stare back at you in the quiet of the ocean, and then, in a flash, he’ll be gone - the flicker of a tail disappearing neatly into a hole in the coral.
If you are like me, you will then float there for a few seconds — blinking into your goggles, listening to the Darth Vader-like sound of your breath through a snorkel tube — and try to wrap your head around what you just saw… and what you felt when you saw it. Next up, you will have the brilliant realization you have only been in the water two minutes and that there is an entire world waiting for you in the waters up ahead. And you’ll kick up your flippers and go.
Hours later you will find yourself with cohorts, trying to describe fuzzy neon lips on gargantuan clam shells, the hypnotic power of a cuttlefish, the colors of impossibly-colored fish, and words will fail. Why? Because what you’re really trying to impart is this sense of extraordinary wonder, the intimate sanctity of the experience, the pleasure and the pride of it, and it can’t be done because everyone has to experience this for themselves: eye to eye with a fish… a turtle… a whale.
A day after my experience on the Great Barrier Reef (or “the GBR,” as Australians call it), I had the great good fortune to meet John Rumney of Eye to Eye Marine Encounters. When I heard the company name “Eye to Eye,” I laughed in recognition: this man understands. Scientists have determined the cradle of the origin of species lies within the triangle of Indonesia, the Philippines and the northeast corner of Australia (where the GBR begins) which explains the enormous bio-diversity of the reef. But meeting that bio-diversity face to face has to be experienced to be understood and fully appreciated, and John Rumney has built a business on that fact.
According to the material, Eye to Eye “creates the ultimate learning experience, where adventure and education combine to produce one of the best ecotourism operations in the world.” Meeting the founder in person, one is struck by John’s intelligence, enthusiasm, creativity and — perhaps most necessary in his line of work — utter pragmatism. This is a man who has had to spend 30 years watching the slow death of 70% of the fringing reef that lies directly off the Australian coastline, where there is agricultural run off (if the GBR stood just off shore and not an hour away by boat, there would already be nothing left to see and meet face to face). Yet he seems optimistic, cheerful in the face of a down economy, content with his work, despite the uphill struggle. Who wouldn’t be when you could visit the Reef any time you like?
Headquartered in Port Douglas in the northeast corner of Australia, particpants in John and Linda Rumney’s Eye to Eye experiences can explore the Great Barrier Reef, or at certain times of the year, get to know Minke whales. Billed as Eco-Tourism at its best, John’s business motto is “Always Exceed Expectation.” Eye to Eye practices conservationist-informed sustainability methods, and visitors are educated and trained on how to approach the reef and interact with its sea life and coral (see Eye to Eye’s Travel Ethics: http://www.marineencounters.com.au/practices.htm). And while it is Eco-tourism, John says a better name would be “Marine Research Tourism.”
The Research Tourism concept grew from John’s hope that Eye to Eye could be the source of scientific studies to inform the Australian government and thereby effect change. Since the early 1980’s, John’s dream was to combine “adventure diving with research” and in 1995 his dream became a reality with the financial support of Rino and Diana Grollo. In late 1995, the Grollos purchased the vessel, Undersea Explorer, allowing John to begin his new style of tourism. John wanted scientists involved in the program as soon as possible, because he knew their field information was out of date (too many hours grant writing and not enough time locking eyes with sea life, as he put it), and marine scientists would have to be at the table if there was any hope of changing the government’s environmental policies.
When the research vessel was finally secured, and John gave free space to both expand access and reduce the cost of research, the scientists began to join the Reef excursions and would literally find a new species every time they went out. Trained and educated by participating Scientists and staff, a portion of each visitor’s daily experience involves working through a check list of what they saw that day - how many of this variety of shark, how many of that fish, the temperature, the state of the coral; and, with the tourists’ cameras set to capture time and date, travel pics suddenly became part of a body of important research. As a result, Eye to Eye has now amassed fourteen years of detailed, irreplaceable information about changes in area sea life. Research gold.
The Production Possibilities Curve of basic economic theory tells you a company that plows a portion of profits back into research and development will eventually outpace its competitors, and the PPV is in effect right now for businesses which choose to Go Green. In Australia in particular, “Go Green” is not a marketing tool - rather, not just a marketing tool - but a lifestyle, particularly in those regions which rely heavily on tourism, and a profitable lifestyle at that. According to Maria Taylor, Education Officer for Water and Waste in Cairns, Australia, a conscious choice by consumers to support organizations that have gone green has created a boon for forward-thinking businesses. With consumers desperate to save money and the effects of climate change upon us, people are growing hungrier for information on how to lower costs and do some good for the world at the same time. Those that make some sacrifices to Go Green now are going to win in the long run, just as John has.
A few years ago, John gathered some of his research, called on some some well-chosen friends in the conservation movement, and went to the government of Australia to make a sustained effort to show tourism (and, by extrapolation, conservation of the environment upon which tourism relies) had a much higher positive impact on the economy than the commercial fishing industry (fishing had a devastating impact on the Reef population and the boats damaged the coral reefs and the water quality). Once the government saw the numbers, they created policies to limit fishing, as well as agricultural run off (the main killer of the reefs standing directly off shore). Australia now spends 180 million a year to protect the Great Barrier Reef — not because it’s the right thing to, but because of a bottom line return on investment. So, with Eye to Eye, John has proven two things: going Green is not only wise but profitable, and it is possible to form a business model that can change the world.
By now you might be thinking about flying to Australia yourself, and if you’re thinking Green, you’re going to ask how it’s possible to feel good about international travel given the carbon footprint. You have a good point, and your point is being argued around the world. Some argue getting on an international flight is better than a domestic flight, because the fuel use is that much less per person on a long trip. Airlines such as Quantas and Virgin Blue take your question seriously and offer carbon offset programs: www.quantas.com/au/info/flying/flycarbonneutral/index and www.virginblue.com.au/carbonoffset. As for Eye to Eye, they are world leaders in the “Swim with Whales” program and approved by conservationists (www.minkewhaleproject.com). Why? For one, Eye to Eye trains visitors in underwater etiquette. If a whale is seen, guides instruct the tourists to swim back to the boat and grab a rope alongside. Whales have curiosity as strong as humans, but they’re not stupid. If a diver aggressively swims toward them, they’ll retreat, so training tourists to stay on the rope no matter what causes the whales to learn that the odd looking fish on a string are safe to approach. And so the whales usually do - sometimes to within a foot.
The other day I was telling a friend, Ed Cutshall of Hillsboro’s Hunt Country Jewelers, about Eye to Eye and my wonderful snorkeling experience on the Great Barrier Reef. He laughed and recalled the story of a woman he knew who used to be a cruise ship cook. Sometimes as she was preparing meals, she had the odd sensation she was being watched. One day the feeling became overwhelming, and she turned about to find a huge black whale eye staring in through the portal window.
Eye to eye indeed.
MEREDITH BEAN McMATH welcomes comment and can be reached at Meredith@storyroot.com or via www.storyroot.com. Opinions expressed in STORYROOT are the sole responsibility of the author. Meredith Bean McMath is a published author, freelance writer, award-winning historian and prize-winning playwright. FormerArtistic Director of Aurora Studio Theatre, Inc. and former Program Director of Round Hill Arts Center, Meredith is the Marketing Director of Cranial Tap, Inc. (www.Cranialtap.com) and an MS candidate in Arts Administration at Shenandoah University. She and her family live in Birkett’s Tavern, Hillsboro, Virginia.
