Wreck diving

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Wreck diving is a type of recreational diving where shipwrecks are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial dive sites. Shipwreck diving enables sport divers to visit the past. Each wreck is a time capsule into history waiting to be explored. Sport divers also make interesting artifact finds while exploring the remains of sunken ships. This enables the sport diving community to make its own contribution to historians and archaeologists by giving them the information needed for wreck identification and further research.

[edit] Reasons for diving wrecks

A shipwreck is attractive to divers for several reasons:

• it is an artificial reef, which creates a habitat for many types of marine life
• it often is a large structure with many interesting parts and machinery, which is not normally closely observable on working, floating vessels
• it often has an exciting or tragic history
• it presents new skill challenges for scuba divers
• it is part of the underwater cultural heritage and may be an important archaeological resource

[edit] Wreck diver training

Many attractive or well preserved wrecks are in deeper water requiring deep diving precautions. Wrecks may possess a variety of unique hazards to divers. Penetration diving, where the diver enters a shipwreck is an advanced skill requiring special training and equipment.

Some diver training organizations provide wreck diver training courses, such as PADI Wreck Diver, which some divers take before wreck diving. Other organisations, such as BSAC, which have many nearby wrecks and fewer other underwater attractions do not separate wreck diving from other types of diver training. The Nautical Archaeology Society teaches awareness of underwater cultural heritage issues as well as practical diver and archaeological skills. Other organizations, such as the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC) deliberately create artificial reefs to provide features for divers to explore, as well as substrates for marine life to thrive upon.

[edit] Protection of wrecks

In many countries, wrecks are legally protected from unauthorised salvage or desecration.

In the United Kingdom, three Acts protect wrecks:

• Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 : certain designated, charted, historic or dangerous sites may not be dived without a licence
• Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 : all military aircraft and 16 designated ships are considered war graves that can only be dived with a licence. Other non-designated ships may be dived providing the divers do not enter, disturb or remove artifacts
• Merchant Shipping Act 1995 : all wrecks and cargoes are owned: each artifact removed must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck

Wrecks that are protected are denoted as such on nautical charts (such as admiralty charts); any diving restrictions should be adhered to.

[edit] See also

• Aviation archaeology

[edit] External links

• The Setxtant, Online Community of Underwater Archaeology and Maritime History
• Wreck Diving, includes a brief history, sketches and maps of shipwrecks
• The Nautical Archaeology Society

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