Canadian Heritage

[divingmoose]

Ive been jumping around the board tring to find a forum that will help me a little.
I need help ! last summer while diving in Newfoundland I was ask
" Did you see a wreck down there " I didnt and was told that a fishing schooner had burned and sunk in the harbour in the early 50's in the same area we were diving.
Ive seen a lot of documentarys and programs on TV but never any Whecks up close.
We are going back this summer and definetly would like to look for this wreck.
So this is where the What Do I Do If comes in! If we find it do we register it somewhere?
We may have a name already but how do I verify.
Is there a forum that I could get to that would help?

 

[Archeodive]

Parks Canada has protected, investigated, and excavated historic shipwrecks for many, many years, so nothing new here. A couple of moths ago they released their landmark publication The Underwater Archaeology of Red Bay; Basque Shipbuilding and Whaling in the 16th Century (5 volumes), a must for anyone working or interested in the field of underwater archeology. Making a statement such as "if I ever find gold, silver, gems and jewelery, YOU BET MY SWEET ASS THERE (sic) MINE>" is irresponsible and only encourages looting. Trophy hunters are not welcome, only those responsible divers who will treat a historic shipwreck with respect, protect it for future generations, and report any finds to the proper authorities.

 

[mike the brit]

Its been muted in England too, similar prohibitive legislation which precludes divers from wrecks greater than 50 years old I think, Well over here thats most wrecks. The legislation is generally made by politicians who don't actually care about the sea and whats in it, but fear they may be missing out on something.

We found a wreck a few years back and have dated it to around 1795, its probably a collier, but we did all the right things and reported it to the receiver of wrecks, the reference number given for our wreck indicated that in the whole of England only 5 new wrecks were reported, we knew of 2.........what a joke. How many people work for the receiver of wrecks in England.....that would be 2 people...................how do they expect to police matters???

I'm all for stopping gross looting or damage to preserved wrecks, but they need to use their heads. The more legislation bought in will simply result in less reporting, not less looting. I think the current age of diving is happier taking video, not artifacts unless its a bell or something?

Cheers

Mike

 

[oleo]

Its wreck diving, which brought me to truly enjoy and discover all that diving has to offer. As a child watching Jacques Cousteau search for the lost word of Atlantis or excavating an old Roman or Greek wreck, that was what I wanted to do. As I got older I had the chance to snorkel in the Caribbean, which got me thinking again about scuba and my childhood dreams of sailing around the world on the Calypso looking for lost ship wrecks or underwater archeological excavations.

Fast forward a couple of years, I am on my final certification dive. We dove to the Robert Gaskin just off the shore in Brockville Ont. My dive buddy for the weekend was having some real trouble and not being able to see the bottom on our descent he panicked and bolted for the surface. The instructor pointed me to the to the wreck and indicated that I remain there until he returned.
Well, oh my god what a site. I could not believe what was around me. It may sound stupid but for a second I had the feeling that I was the first person to see to see the Gaskin since it sank. It was almost impossible to stay put as I had been instructed to. All I wanted to do was swim around and look at her. I felt a sense of history that was not the same as when looking at a historical site on land. It may have to do with what is required to get there or it could have to with boyhood fantasies of being Jacques Cousteau. I have had this feeling every time I dive a new wreck and I know I am not alone.

It saddens me to think that legislation, which is meant to protect these places of historical importance, will in doing so, restrict them from the common man. History belongs to you and I. Not just to Governments and Institutions of higher learning.

We as divers have the responsibility to not disturb the site so that others can enjoy and hopefully learn from them. Is this not what organizations like SOS are created for. What is it that they say, “take only pictures and leave only bubbles”.