Category Archives: Scuba

Lust for rust: Wreck divers and the management of underwater cultural heritage

January 27, 2019Scuba, Water-Related, Wreck ResearchShipwrecks, Underwater Preserves, Wreck Diver BehaviorDWMack

I participated in a diver survey several years ago concerning Wreck Divers and Management of U/W cultural Heritage that was generated by Joanne Lynette Edney of Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

This is part of the result of that survey: Yes, the Theses is VERY LONG but worth the read and study especially if you are a serious diver or dive shop doing shipwreck dive trips.

I wrote back to Jo after reviewing her thesis commenting as follows:

I specifically found Chapter 4, Section 4.3.1 describing the unintentional damage that anchoring and mooring create, Chapter 5, and your Reference List very interesting and informative.

One of the Michigan Underwater Preserves major goals are to provide permanent (seasonal – due to ice) mooring on the most popular wrecks in the Great Lakes.

One of the biggest issues of the Michigan Underwater Preserves is raising funds to purchase and install mooring on significant wrecks per the state and U.S. Coast Guard requirements.

Your findings on diver behavior, especially concerning contact behavior, hand pulling especially when not in current, artifact touching, and generation of artifact clusters was also informative.

In the great lakes, its infestation by the invasive Zebra (1988) and then Quagga mussels (2000) pose a serious threat to the biodiversity and fisheries of any water system. Research has also found that these mussel colonies on steel surfaces can introduce a complex community of bacteria that lowers pH levels (the lower the pH the more acidic a solution is) and speeds up the corrosion of iron fasteners and fittings on shipwrecks.

The mussels have changed the bottom land and all underwater objects like ship wrecks by enveloping them in several inch-thick carpets which obscures the shape of the object. In order to actually “see” objects, deliberate contact has been made in removing layers of mussels to enable the object to be discerned but not necessarily cleaned to it’s the surface. The sheer weight of mussels in some cases has caused structural damage to wooden wrecks. Wrecks deeper than 150 feet do not normally have thicker coverings as do the shallow ones.

In chapter 12.5, second bullet, your reference to “other types of special interest diver” has peaked my interest.

I suspect that one special interest would be photography and videography of fish and marine animals, cave systems, shipwrecks, geological formations or U/W landscapes. With the proliferation of GoPro users, I see a lot of this activity by someone on every dive.

In my area (SW Michigan) we dive rivers. In that a few large rivers connect to Great Lakes ship harbors there are ship wrecks to be found but this is not the norm. What many river divers do is called grubbing. Rivers were used as dumping grounds by the shoreline communities and businesses under the adage “out of sight, out of mind”. Now days river divers do Ecology dives where divers find and remove anything that is obviously “junk or trash” especially along the shore line or where the bottom is visible from the surface. These dives are done usually around community river parks. When not doing ecology dives, grubbers often recover anything that might have salvage value like car batteries, bikes, assorted motor vehicles, and bottles to support their diving habit.

As such I would be interested to hear what your views are on that topic and hope to hear about any future projects you undertake. Mac

Thesis: Lust for rust – Wreck divers and the management of underwater cultural heritage. Joanne Lynette Edney of Southern Cross University in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

The aim of this research (thesis) was to gain a comprehensive understanding of wreck diver attitudes, behavior and motivations, to assist heritage managers balance underwater cultural heritage protection and diver access to high quality diving experiences.

The study focus was the behavior of divers in Asia-Pacific region, and the attitudes and motivations of wreck divers from the major source populations of wreck divers who visit the Asia-Pacific region.

The research objectives used to achieve the aim were:

1. Examine and critique wreck diver behavior, motivations and attitudes.

2. Explore the possibilities for an enhanced integration of divers and the management of underwater cultural heritage.

The first research objective focused on wreck diver behavior, motivations and attitudes.

The second objective of the research conducted for this thesis explored possibilities and opportunities to enhance the integration of divers and the management of underwater heritage.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330242066_Lust_for_rust_Wreck_divers_and_the_management_of_underwater_cultural_heritage

2018 / 2019 Greeting the New Year Under Water (again!)

January 1, 2019ScubaNew Years Night DiveDWMack

Yep, it was that time of year again. No ice this year, least ways on Paw Paw Lake (Watervliet, MI) but there was a little rain that turned into sleet after midnight. With no wind and air temp of 32F it was almost balmy. We had two providing shore support (Jake Thar and Jeri Steelman) and 4 in the water and most important 4 out . (Don McAlhany, Otto Molmen, Mary Beth, Sir Larry Steelman). It was fun as usual, so come out and join us next year!

High Noon Dive – Forest Beach – Watervliet, Mi

December 12, 2018ScubaCold Water Gear Check, Pre Ice Dive Gear CheckDWMack

In preparation for cold water diving, especially for the New Years night dive, its highly desired that the individuals on that dive have been diving and are current on their skills and equipment.

This dive day provides anyone an opportunity to verify their skill, comfort level and equipment operation in a safe environment. By safe I mean it’s a no-current area, decent visibility, a sandy bottom with a gradual slope to deeper water.

Having a dock or pier to stage gear and to be able to dress/gear up in the water without the tanks on helps with keeping the weight off their backs until they enter the water.

Today’s dive in Big Paw Paw Lake (Watervliet, MI) was great with no wind, flat water, and maybe an air temp of 40F. Water was initially chilly on the hands if diving wet gloves.

The dive site is called “Forest Beach Park” and its located at the bottom of “Pier” street off of Forest Beach drive. Its an especially nice place to dive during the summer because it has a good parking, and a sandy beach. During the summer months it has a Pot-a-John available for changing or the necessities.

Not many treasures were recovered today but two golf balls were brought back so it does count as an official club dive. Next dive? Soon I am sure!

Fine silt like sand, sections of rock and mussels, and patches of alge.

The occasional standing vegetation most areas in the section were matted weeds flat on the bottom. Saw no clams or snails.

Sir Larry just hanging around blowing bubbles.

If its not vegetation and not sand, it has mussels attached

This is exactly how the vaping devise was just laying on the bottom (10 feetdown)

2018-12-15 Forest Beach- Watervliet, Mi. Sir Larry Steelman with equipment cart. MUD Club Diver

2018-12-15 Forest Beach- Watervliet, Mi. Official club “golf Balls” mussel encrusted sunglasses and Vape/ Vapor Device . MUD Club Diver

2018-12-15 Forest Beach- Watervliet, Mi. Ted Tomaszewski Cold water gear check dive. MUD Club Diver

2018-12-15 Forest Beach- Watervliet, Mi. Brian Daisy – Cold water gear check dive. MUD Club Diver

2018-12-15 Forest Beach- Watervliet, Mi. Sir Larry Steelman -Cold water gear check dive. MUD Club Diver

Big Paw Paw Lake – Watervliet side – Forest Beach – Water clarity in the shallows – sandy bottom .

2018-12-15 Forest Beach- Watervliet, Mi. – Diver Below flags and floats on the ready. MUD Club Divers.

July 12: End of a saga – Kids trapped in the Thai Cave

July 12, 2018Scuba, Water-RelatedKids trapped in CaveDWMack

As a charter member of the Michigan U/W Divers Club and “Dive Mentor” on the ScubaObsessed Pod cast, I was following the daily events around the missing Thai soccer team in the Tham Luang cave in the mountainous northern Thailand and their rescue. Here is an over view of the event and rescue.

On Saturday (June 23) it was reported that 12 boys and their coach of the Wild Boards youth soccer team (aged from 11 to 16) ventured into the Tham Luang cave in mountainous northern Thailand after soccer practice. There they got trapped when heavy rains caused flooding in the route back out of the cave which forced them to take shelter on a muddy ledge +2 miles inside the cave system.

The boys had biked to the cave along with their coach and when they didn’t return home on Saturday evening, their families reported them missing. Family members have held a vigil outside the complex since then. “There has to be faith. Faith makes everything a success, Thai authorities have remained resolutely optimistic that the group has found shelter on dry ground within the cave, and will be found.

On July 2, after nine days in darkness, two British divers, Mr. John Volamthen and Mr. Richard Stanton (both part of the part of the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team) found them. They were found looking gaunt but otherwise offering smiles to the divers and appeared to be in remarkably good spirits.

Just reaching the boys and their soccer coach required a six-hour underground journey in strong currents, pitch blackness and treacherous conditions in the cave. The journey required squeezing through two-foot-wide passages and climbing over boulders several stories high. It has been difficult for even the best divers to navigate the submerged portions of the cave.

Now that they were located, the big challenge was how to get the out of the flooded cave system and the labyrinth of tunnels more than 2.5 miles inside the cave.

Time was critical for they feared that with the anticipated additional heavy rains the area they were in would also flood. As the rescue planning continued the boys were supplied with food, electrolyte drinks, and medicine. Over the time they were in the cave, the oxygen level in the chamber, dipped to 15% percent (normally 21%) so an air hose had been run from the rescue base inside the cave to the chamber where they were in to add fresh air to the chamber.

As part of the rescue plan air and oxygen tanks were being staged through the cave system.

The rescue was not without a fatality. On Friday (July 6), one of the rescuers, a former Thai Navy SEAL diver Mr. Saman Gunan drowned while transporting these air tanks.

The rescue mission started on Sunday (July 8) with divers entering the cave at 10:00 local time and having gotten 4 of the boys out by 19:47 hrs. The mission was paused overnight for air tanks to be replaced along the route but resumed again on Monday

On Monday (July 9) four more were removed from the cave and the remaining 5 were brought out on Tuesday (July 10) and transferred to hospital where the others were.

As a diver I was especially interested in how they were going to extract 13 non-divers from the flooded cave system.

Thai officials had contacted Mermaid Subsea Services in Bangkok, a firm that normally provides equipment for undersea oil and gas extraction. The company was asked to supply diving masks for the kids. Ideally, AGA Divator masks would be used, which cover the entire face and could be specially fitted for children. Each child would be dressed in wetsuits, boots, and helmets. Sources in the rescue operation said that the boys were sedated ahead of the rescue to prevent them panicking in the dark, tight, underwater passageways.

For the underwater sections, they were strapped to a rescue diver. They readied the mask attached to a tank filled with 80 percent oxygen. Finally, the boys were swaddled in a flexible plastic stretcher, akin to a tortilla wrap, to confine his limbs and protect them from the sharp edged walls. The divers were connected to lines that went to the surface. In all, about 40% of the boys’ journey through the water involved diving and in other parts the water was up to the rescuers’ chests.

Waiting for Spring!

April 8, 2018Scuba, Water-Related, Wreck ResearchMUPC, Organizational Membership, SWMUP, Underwater PreservesDWMack

April 08: Waiting for Spring.

Now, as most Michigan divers know, the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve (SWMUP) encompasses the shoreline from Holland to New Buffalo near the Indiana border, and as such, it works with the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council (MUPC).

The MUPC is a private, non-profit, volunteer-driven organization, which works with the Michigan’s 13 preserves in fostering cooperative stewardship of the historical, cultural, natural and recreational resources associated with the preserves as well as support and speak as a unified voice for the preserve committees. It then shares these positions to the legislature and other relevant agencies and groups.

One of the most attractive and useful purposes I believe it does is to support and participate in placement of marker buoys on wrecks and provide input and advice on permits and preserve-related research efforts.

With that said, I had the opportunity to attend this quarters Council meeting with members of the SWMUP and WMUP in Ludington. Listening to the challenges the MUPC has working with the 13 preserves was an interesting and informative time worth the 3 hour drive each way.

Afterward, because I had been a participant and contributor, rather than just a spectator, made me think about why was I really there. What thoughts did I have at the end of the meeting? What are my expectations from both the local preserve and council?

With that said, as I understand it, the performance of a preserve is dependent upon three major things: the physical support of interested individuals, the active participation of local divers, and money.

Any organization is only as good as the depth of its membership and the enthusiasm they bring with them. But as I think about the need all organizations have for membership and member retention, it seems to boil down to one point. What is the organization giving members that makes them want to join and remain a member? In short, how do you benefit from being a member of this organization?

Now, I don’t know your reason, but here are a few reasons why some people are active members of the preserves:
• They have a passion for diving in all its various dimensions.
• They have a passion for exploring shipwrecks.
• They want to be active in the search for new shipwrecks, and document its find. (Along with this is the distinction of being known as the “finder” of the missing ship which makes you part of its history.)
• They obtain self-satisfaction from being part of the dive team who places shipwreck buoys on wrecks to make them more accessible to all divers.
• They want to be part of the groups that remove the buoys before the storms and ice of winter, and then and replace them for the spring and summer diving.
• They have a passion to understand why a ship sank, its history, its personality, and its effect on a community, state, and country.
• They want to be a spokesperson and tell the stories of Great Lakes ships.
• They want to ensure the history of the Great Lakes and its marine life is recorded.
• They are looking to the future to see how the health of the Great Lakes impacts those that are dependent upon it for their livelihood, as well as their life in that everyone has a need for quality water.
• They are individuals not physically able to support preserve activities, but are willing to provide material, funding, or administrative support to meet identified needs of a preserve.

I am sure there are more, but the key is participants and members feel that they are being useful and understand their contributions are making a difference in the preservation of the Great Lakes.

If you are a diver, Which one are you?

For more information on Michigan Preserves, visit: www.michiganpreserves.org.