Artifact Question

[DavidCarleton]

Do any wreck sights exist where it is possible (and legal) to recover artifacts in relatively shallow water (less than 150 feet) and with minimal risk levels (i.e. no deep penetrations of the wreck).


I do not have a death wish and I am more than willing to obtain whatever training/certifications are necessary.

 

[Duca]

DAvid,

You might "private message" AAdiver.. he is new here too, but has recently posted a couple of pictures of himself with recovered items. He is posting in the "Solo Diving: Self Reliance" thread....

Good Luck...

 

[CheeseWhiz]

Although I would dearly love to dive a wreck and bring up a nice bag of goodies to display on the mantle, if everyone did that, there would very soon be nothing to dive.

I know there are many who would disagree, and certainly many who have written whole books related to recovering artifacts from wrecks, I feel that unless the effort is going toward furthering the general public's knowledge (artifacts going to a museum or university for research), they are better off where they are...on the wreck.

I realize not everyone shares this altruistic point of view, but there you have it.

 

[ScubaBaby]

DavidCarleton

I am unaware of any wrecks where you can actually take artifacts but I am sure AADiver will be happy to help.

This has made me think about my own views on taking artifacts from wrecks....if your interested i think I'll start a poll on others opinions - could be an interesting thread!

 

[roakey]

There’s a Japanese reconnaissance plane inside the reef, north of the harbor channel on Saipan in about 25’ of water. It’s flipped over on its back and the glass/Plexiglas dome is in place with the camera behind it.

As far as I know it’s all still there because I didn’t disturb a thing so next diver could enjoy it.

Find it if you can

Roak

 

[g2]

CheeezeWhiz - I agree with you, but only regarding of wrecks of historical importance. IMHO, recent wrecks that have no hisortical importance are fair game (if their salvage is legal, of course).

I also know that not everybody would necessarily agree with me, and I respect their opinion.

g2

 

[g2]

In fact, if you think of a recent, unplanned shipwreck as just a bigger piece of garbage thrown into the ocean, you might be doing the world a favor by "cleaning up the mess"...

 

[SpyderTek]

I don't know abou the rest of the world but....

The NJ shore has over 350 wrecks and each and every one of them is "open". That is to say you can dive and what you find is yours to keep.

There are a number of books on the topic outlining most of the wrecks along the Jersey shore it makes me wonder if there is anything there at all to bring up anymore. However, every year more stuff is brought up so I am keeping hope till next year when I am going down for my own stuff!

SpyderTek

 

[Duca]

I think that the only people who should have claim to items in the ocean are the original owners. If the owners of a ship or property on the ship have foregone their right to salvage their stuff, then who are we to say that it has to stay at the bottom of the ocean forever?

This reminds me of the argument against underwater hunting (or above water hunter, for that matter...)

As G2 noted, discarded or lost stuff is, by many definitions "garbage." If someone rolled a car off into the Grand Canyon and it had stuff in it, would you people suggest that the site be left intact for others to enjoy ?? Afterall, lizards, mice and insects would likely make thier home in such a pile of junk and it would certainly attract attention from hikers. People would use it as a landmark. Etc, etc.....

 

[TexasMike]

Returning to David's original question.

The wrecks off of the North Carolina Coast are often in 120 fsw or shallower. Check out www.ncwreckdiving.com. I went out with them at the beginning of October and had a good time. And though I didn't bring anything up, I did see lots of stuff that I could have, including several large cargo pulleys. This trip is definitely on my list of trips for next summer.

Or for more info, get in touch with TekDiver on this board. He is one of the regulars on the North Carlona wreck dives.