Home
Introduction
Wreck diving is growing more and more popular in Britain. The thrill is seeing a ship that has lain undisturbed for decades - perhaps even centuries. A chance to explore what has been out of reach for so long. However, there are risks involved with diving. Unseen dangers abound. Then, there are the rules that must be obeyed such as respecting War Graves. Welcome to the world of the diver.
'The sheer quantity of wrecks is of course why wreck diving is the most popular activity of Britain's scuba divers.'
More ships have sunk around the coasts of Britain than any other country in the world. The best estimate of the number of ships lost in our coastal waters since man first took to water is over a quarter of a million. Most of these shipwrecks came about by collision, by storm, or by bad navigation. But a great number of merchant ships - 7265 of them British - were added to this total by the torpedoes of German U-boats in the First and Second World Wars.
The sheer quantity of wrecks is of course why wreck diving is the most popular activity of Britain's scuba divers. One of the problems that the divers encounter is poor visibility. However, the often poor "viz" ,as divers call the underwater visibility, only adds to their interest in wrecks. The viz in much of Britain's inshore waters can occasionally mean that you can't see your hand in front of your face mask. It is usually approximately about three metres but it is sometimes five. On exceptional days, it is 15 (excellent) and the rare 30 metres (fantastic!).
In low visibility, the scuba diver never knows what he will find on any dive and may suddenly see a huge ship loom up out of the underwater fog. No one apparently knew that she was there. So the divers now have a special wreck of "their very own". The thrill of being the first to see the ship since she sank. Questions such as - what kind of ship is she? How did she sink? Is that torpedo damage in her port side? What's her name? - spring to the divers mind.
The divers may be lucky and find the ship's bell with her name on it. There may be the builder's brass nameplate poking out of the wreckage. However it is more likely that the divers will have to surface without knowing her name. Finds such as a crested plate, a cup, a bottle, or something from her cargo - may identify her. The discovery of an "unknown" wreck will lead divers on a hunt through old records in libraries before the whole story of her sinking is revealed. Any wreck diver will tell you that this kind of dry-land research can be almost as exciting as the diving itself. Another way of becoming involved in wreck investigation is through the Nautical Archaeology Society.
Bookmark with:
What are these?