I grew up in South Florida. Jacques Cousteau was one of my childhood heroes. I snorkeled from early on, and got SCUBA certified as soon as I could. I dove many times off the Florida mainland and the Keys. Never had to fly to dive, just drive or ride out, sometimes we just swam from shore.

I would love to dive the Great Barrier Reef while it's still great, but can't justify it on the grounds you lay out. But I wish people could get the sense of what is being lost. Seeing it in person, in situ, is very different from watching it on a screen.