Tag Archives: Underwater Preserves

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

Scuba, Water-Related, Wreck Research, ,
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

Waiting for Spring!

Scuba, Water-Related, Wreck Research, , ,

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.