I suppose that I should be posting this in the Ontario Fresh Water Freaks Section But I think it is better positioned here because I can see a trend of similar activities occurring in other dive locals as well.
As Instructors we generally do our best to educate our students on the preservation and conservation of dive sites. As wreck divers we stress the importance of preserving our natural time capsules. Years ago as a younger diver I cut my teach on diving by visiting many of the wrecks of the Great Lakes. I feel that as far as wrecks go that these wrecks are some of the best in the world. I have in the last year of bouncing back and forth between the caves of Florida, the Oceans of the coast and the Great Lakes seen what I consider to be a atrocity of damage to many of these dive sites. Now I am not what one would term an environmentalist by any means but I can say I have never contributed to the willful damage to any of these sites.
In Ginnie springs I find it humorous to see the Bats hanging from the cave line in the Bat room. These plastic Bats in their position cause no further harm to the cave itself. Nothing unlike the many knee marks and fin scuffs that I see in the floor or the broken rocks along the wall do. These Bats I can say I see as acceptable.
This weekend I had the opportunity to dive with some students doing an AOW class. From day one these students were instructed to lift their knees, watch where they placed their hands and to pay attention as to how they maneuvered around the wrecks so as not to cause environmental discourse. It dawned on me just how much damage I have seen on these wrecks over the years of my absence from them. Timbers broken, articles removed and garbage scattered about. I remember how many years ago we were instructed not to touch many parts of the wrecks so as to ensure their survival. Man built them nature took them and now Man is destroying them.
On one of the wrecks I first noticed a plastic container of which strapped to it was an alarm clock and inside were many sticks of PVC painted to look like dynamite. Wires strung about and a card secured to it stating that if you find this return to the local dive shop for a free air fill. Also on this wreck was of all things a bicycle, a mountain bike. Now this wreck is way to far from shore to have had the bike just thrown in the water. Nope it the bike was taken out by a boat and dropped onto the wreck. The Wolf Islander Ferry in Kingston has on it a motorcycle. This ok, is funny as the wreck is a ferry and was used to transport vehicles. The motorcycle was not originally there in the 1980's when the wreck was sank into the mouth of the St Lawrence/Lake Ontario junction. I know because I dived this wreck the very next day.
The bike on the Kingshorn wreck I thought what is with this. I even made the effort to recover the bike. It had not been down there all that long, only a bit of rust had over taken it. I could have reconditioned the bike or at least sold it for scrap metal. To my surprise The bike was thrown back into the water with the statement that it had been there all summer long and added to the enjoyment of the dive site. No effort was made to assist in getting the bike onto the boat, and there was plenty of room for it. I was not happy about this and if luck has it I will go back and do another recovery of the bike. A major difference in attitude to what use to be guarding the wrecks.
There was a make belief bomb, this was a poor form of advertising as I see it and even if it were for some sort of training exercise every effort should have been to remove it from the water and not detract from the dive sites main attraction, the wreck. Also on this wreck if I can add were some markers, glow sticks. Left there by another dive shop/charter so as to mark the ascent line and bow of the wreck from a previous night's dive. The glow sticks were attached to the anchor block and the wrecks bow each with their own business card and request to not remove them as they were for night marking purposes. They even had their own line between them? Hum funny I think as they were once providing any reference light and it was now day time. I could not help but think that when this dive was completed the markers should have been removed by the last dive team to surface or perhaps a dive master team once all divers were accounted for. I removed them, at least one set of them. TO see the bike simply tossed back into the water and hearing a statement that it was there as a added attraction only confirms my new belief that the wrecks of the great lakes are not being treated as the great assets for diving that they once were. They are now even more at risk.
To me the wrecks are the main event here in these waters and it is sad to see that quicker then one would expect that the curtains of this show are closing. SOS (Save Ontario Shipwrecks) and POW (Preserve Our Wrecks) your past efforts are failing. I know what your intent is or once was good but perhaps it is the need of every Instructor and diver out there, every dive shop or charter regardless of where you dive, to truly take a second look at how you educate divers on the importance of conservation and preservation. Educated and good skilled Divers leave nothing but bubbles and take only pictures and memories.
The only thing that should be on these wrecks are those things which belong there and have relevence. No business cards in any form, no side show attractions. Please. leave the wrecks and dive sites as they would naturally be.
As Instructors we generally do our best to educate our students on the preservation and conservation of dive sites. As wreck divers we stress the importance of preserving our natural time capsules. Years ago as a younger diver I cut my teach on diving by visiting many of the wrecks of the Great Lakes. I feel that as far as wrecks go that these wrecks are some of the best in the world. I have in the last year of bouncing back and forth between the caves of Florida, the Oceans of the coast and the Great Lakes seen what I consider to be a atrocity of damage to many of these dive sites. Now I am not what one would term an environmentalist by any means but I can say I have never contributed to the willful damage to any of these sites.
In Ginnie springs I find it humorous to see the Bats hanging from the cave line in the Bat room. These plastic Bats in their position cause no further harm to the cave itself. Nothing unlike the many knee marks and fin scuffs that I see in the floor or the broken rocks along the wall do. These Bats I can say I see as acceptable.
This weekend I had the opportunity to dive with some students doing an AOW class. From day one these students were instructed to lift their knees, watch where they placed their hands and to pay attention as to how they maneuvered around the wrecks so as not to cause environmental discourse. It dawned on me just how much damage I have seen on these wrecks over the years of my absence from them. Timbers broken, articles removed and garbage scattered about. I remember how many years ago we were instructed not to touch many parts of the wrecks so as to ensure their survival. Man built them nature took them and now Man is destroying them.
On one of the wrecks I first noticed a plastic container of which strapped to it was an alarm clock and inside were many sticks of PVC painted to look like dynamite. Wires strung about and a card secured to it stating that if you find this return to the local dive shop for a free air fill. Also on this wreck was of all things a bicycle, a mountain bike. Now this wreck is way to far from shore to have had the bike just thrown in the water. Nope it the bike was taken out by a boat and dropped onto the wreck. The Wolf Islander Ferry in Kingston has on it a motorcycle. This ok, is funny as the wreck is a ferry and was used to transport vehicles. The motorcycle was not originally there in the 1980's when the wreck was sank into the mouth of the St Lawrence/Lake Ontario junction. I know because I dived this wreck the very next day.
The bike on the Kingshorn wreck I thought what is with this. I even made the effort to recover the bike. It had not been down there all that long, only a bit of rust had over taken it. I could have reconditioned the bike or at least sold it for scrap metal. To my surprise The bike was thrown back into the water with the statement that it had been there all summer long and added to the enjoyment of the dive site. No effort was made to assist in getting the bike onto the boat, and there was plenty of room for it. I was not happy about this and if luck has it I will go back and do another recovery of the bike. A major difference in attitude to what use to be guarding the wrecks.
There was a make belief bomb, this was a poor form of advertising as I see it and even if it were for some sort of training exercise every effort should have been to remove it from the water and not detract from the dive sites main attraction, the wreck. Also on this wreck if I can add were some markers, glow sticks. Left there by another dive shop/charter so as to mark the ascent line and bow of the wreck from a previous night's dive. The glow sticks were attached to the anchor block and the wrecks bow each with their own business card and request to not remove them as they were for night marking purposes. They even had their own line between them? Hum funny I think as they were once providing any reference light and it was now day time. I could not help but think that when this dive was completed the markers should have been removed by the last dive team to surface or perhaps a dive master team once all divers were accounted for. I removed them, at least one set of them. TO see the bike simply tossed back into the water and hearing a statement that it was there as a added attraction only confirms my new belief that the wrecks of the great lakes are not being treated as the great assets for diving that they once were. They are now even more at risk.
To me the wrecks are the main event here in these waters and it is sad to see that quicker then one would expect that the curtains of this show are closing. SOS (Save Ontario Shipwrecks) and POW (Preserve Our Wrecks) your past efforts are failing. I know what your intent is or once was good but perhaps it is the need of every Instructor and diver out there, every dive shop or charter regardless of where you dive, to truly take a second look at how you educate divers on the importance of conservation and preservation. Educated and good skilled Divers leave nothing but bubbles and take only pictures and memories.
The only thing that should be on these wrecks are those things which belong there and have relevence. No business cards in any form, no side show attractions. Please. leave the wrecks and dive sites as they would naturally be.
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