In 2006, a snorkeling charter from Maui headed to Molokini with an inexperienced captain. Mechanical problems soon developed and the ship sank. None of the snorkelers were injured, but in their lame attempt to salvage the ship, the company, Maui Snorkel Charters, ruined much of the coral they went out to see. This week, Hawaii fined the tour company close to $400,000 for damaging more than 1200 coral colonies. It’s about time states and countries get serious about coral destruction. It takes centuries to build healthy coral, seconds to destroy. It reminds me of the time I was in Candidasa, Bali, wondering why the beach had disappeared. A local told me that they destroyed the reef building a new hotel and now the water was coming straight up to the resort’s edge. That’s what I call the dark side of travel.