Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
ages:Very creepy....so I am wondering what other creepy things have been found?
Barracuda2:What the heck is this all about???? More details please!!
NWGratefulDiver:I found a cat once in about 18 fsw ... the thing was so covered with crabs that it took me a while to figure out what it was ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
The Horn:The rules and regulations are different all over the world. Most of what you do underwater is up to your own feelings of the "right thing" to do. Human remains found underwater should be marked if possible and authorities notified. Depending on the depth they may request you recover them. Some Public Safety Diver orgs. will not go below a set depth for thier own safety. You can report bones as well but may not get much assistance if the location does not fit a disapearance.
The US has declared any Military or Naval wreckage thier property and thus protected, however, very difficult to police. Brits have the same "gravesite" issues, however, both countries have been known to salvage these "gravesites" if valuables are contained.......you as the public may not! Once again, do YOU feel its wrong to take something YOU found underwater.
In Canada the Reciever of Wrecks owns anything underwater. You have to file a claim and then they keep it for one year. If insurance companies, historians and Goverment don't care about your find, you can then keep it.
After alot of work helping our dive recovery teams and watching them in action and seeing, working with etc some of the unfortunate souls lost in the depths I would do as one of the previous posters and shoot a marker bag then call in the boys who are being paid.
As far as the "gravesite" issue this seems to be more of a modern view point or one of convienience. In the past most ship wrecks that could be, were plundered and alot of the bodies stripped of valuables. Things were looked upon as "Treasure" instead of grave robbing. Its up to how YOU feel and what YOU want others to be able to see.
If you look at the Empress of Ireland, the local diver stripped as much as he could over many years. Then he got mad when others were doing the same so he had the Quebec Government turn it into a protected site, no one is now allowed to take anything. You would think that the guy would have turned over his loot to a museum and indeed some items made it. The kicker is he tried to sell most of it to the highest US bidder until the Canadian Goverment squashed it.
mtsidford:I found a human femur last year 100 yard off the back of the Chester Poling off Gloucester. I left it where it was among the rocks, the capt and my buddies said I should have brought it back topside. I though you should let the dead rest in peace. Unless your searching for a d/b.
Where are the Jersey divers? I expected a few mob bodies found. Sid
PAdiver93:Creep..y... Found a German Me-109 (I think) with the pilot's remains in the Baltic sea once... The plain was intact (except for a few bullet holes - corrosion wasn't that bad (especially since that Nazi had been under water for at least 55 years at that time)... Glass was still in, swastika was visible after clearing off the silt. Didn't report it and never will - he doesn't deserve a grave!