We are a small company offering Ecological Tours of St Maarten/ St Martin. We are very much in favor of sustainable tourism and believe we all need nature to truly relax and recover from our busy working lives. We also believe we should disturb nature as little as possible with taking only photos and leaving only carefully planted footprints. This is also the reason why we do NOT feed the fish during the snorkeling part of our tour.

Feeding fish on a regular basis to attract them to snorkelers is not a good idea. It disturbs the natural balance of the ecosystem which then might result in a lesser variety of fish and coral species or less fish and coral all together.

When wildlife gets used to being fed, they will breed a lot, and instead of finding their own territory, those fish will stay in the same area as where they were born because food is abundant. Until low season comes, or a recession, and there will be fewer snorkel tours with guides that feed the fish.

The surplus in fish – compared to the natural population – will then push other less aggressive fish (species) out of their ecosystem by eating all natural available food. The other fish will die.

Juvenile fish that have been fed regularly during their first weeks, will also not have learned how to find their own food and will not survive that way.

Though some people like the swarming fish around them, fish begging for food can be quite annoying. Like a dog that sits next to you looking up when you want to enjoy your meal in peace. You’ll know immediately when you’re snorkeling in an area where fish are being fed.

Observe sea life in its natural habitat, doing its own thing and in the great and healthy variety we still have at a lot of snorkel sites on St Maarten/ St Martin. Join us on our Peak, Pond & Snorkel Tour to find out!