Wreck Rights and Wrongs!

[ScubaBaby]

Theres another thread started about pulling up artifacts from wrecks and it got be thinking about peoples points of view.

The thread is : Artifact Question

I personally think they are best left on the bottom for others to enjoy, but then you come to the points where people were lost on that ship/boat and families would like to recover to belongs of their loved ones etc.

And also the debate as to whether or not the pieces belong in a museum for all to share.

I'm eager to find out others views.

 

[DivingGal]

I really, really think they should be left where they are found. For a couple of reasons:

- we divers like finding stuff on the wrecks, and it makes the dive more interesting.

- most people when they retrieve artefacts do not know how and/or cannot preserve them so they deteriorate and soon will not even be there for them.

So I definately vote - please leave them there for others to enjoy.

This doesn't even begin to touch on the fact it is totally illegal to do so in the waters around here.

 

[ScubaBaby]

Divinggal

You make a valid point, but non-divers come back with the fight of why dont they get the chance to enjoy seeing these pieces of history!

Which is a fair point....they have as much right to see these artefacts as we have!

 

[DivingGal]

Fair point.... But I stand by one simple fact; most people (I would hazard a guess 95% or better) don't know how to properly preserve artefacts. Sure bring up a bottle and nothing much happens. Bring up metal that has been sitting in saltwater, and you soon will see the salt expanding and destroying the metal. Bring up wood -- and you can say good bye.

This may be a bit controversial, but we live in an age where cameras (still, digital, and video) exist. A non-diver wants to see something from below the waves? I say get a diver to take pictures, or get the proper permissions to bring something up, and preserve it (at their cost) so that is can be enjoyed by non-divers.

Even as a diver, I have persude extra training to understand wrecks - I've taken one and soon to have two courses through NAS(a UK society btw). I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to know wrecks. Scarf joints, knees, and keels have all taken on new meanings for me.

 

[socaldiver]

with DG. I believe you should come out of the water with nothing more than you went in with (except for less air/mixed gas and a roll of film completely shot).

It is a high risk dive for the most part, that is enjoyed by a number of divers (and growing). I plan on diving wrecks myself simply to snoop around and take a few shots "to prove" that I was there and would be willing to share my experiences with anyone interested. If a landlocked person is interested in seeing these artifacts firsthand then they should also go thru the proper training necessary to take the plunge.

 

[joewr]

When it comes to such matters, I think of some of the words from the song made famous by Richie Valens, La Bamba:

"se necesita una poca de gracia"--"you need a little grace"

In this context, remember others will dive there after you...

Joewr...

 

[striking viking]

I believe that it is best to leave things as they were intended to be left--in their natural state. Isn't that what makes a good dive anyway, seeing things in their natural habitat? Here I go again talking about the Monterey diving, but you can dive in one of the public dive sites where it is not protected and not see much more than kelp. If you go down the road to the State park where everything below the surface is protected, you will see the habitat as it is was hundreds of years ago. Concerning the non-divers, they can see the site from video or pictures just as easily as they could see an artifact sitting behind the glass.
Take pictures and memories with you; remove garbage left by the last person that dove there. I think that covers it. Happy diving.

 

[UKPhil]

take only pictures,
leave only bubbles!
If a non-diver really wants to see this stuff, learn to dive! It looks a whole lot better in situ...

 

[Ontario Diver]

1) Let other divers "discover" them too.
2) If if is an artifact (other question is when is it an artifact or junk...), it is better preserved in the water than out.
3) If you take it out, the wreck loses historical information; based on it location etc. you can learn a lot.
4) if you take it out, and you don't preserve it, it disappears
5) if you take it out and you preserve it, you have a piece of history in your hands - you'll have to take care of it forever

and...

6) it is illegal

 

[Duca]

Shouldn't those of you posting "it is illegal" be putting some boundaries on that? What are the rules in international water? What about lakes/rivers ? I would think that there must be different laws in different places. I don't know of any governing body that has jurisdiction over "all submerged portions of the earth."

Here's what I had to say in the other thread:

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.....