Mary Rose Scuba Diver Marks 40th Anniversary of First Dive June 1, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Trivia, WreckDiving , add a comment
Earlier this month there was a presentation to mark the 40th anniversary of the first dive on the Mary Rose. To commemorate the event John Towse, one of the two scuba divers who performed that first dive presented the original search chart to the Mary Rose Trust.
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Local government officials recommend caution and extra training before diving the USS Oriskany May 31, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , add a commentThe USS Oriskany is the largest artifical reef in the world. It is a decommissioned US aircraft carrier and was sank on 17th May 2006. I have read many reports about the wreck and the fact that the flight deck is at a depth of around 130 ft (40mtrs) is somewhat of a disadvantage. It seems that some divers are viewing that as a challenge, but it is at a depth where single cylinders just don’t give you any time at all. Indeed, with a bottom time of 12 minutes, what is the point? The tower is at around 70ft (20 mtrs) which still is at the limit of the basic open water qualified scuba diver.
It is not surprising therefore that local government officials have recommended caution when scuba diving this wreck, which in my oinion, is good advice. Here is their statement;
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Novice Scuba Diver and Fisherman find HMS Resolution May 30, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , add a commentWilly at Divester points us to this article in the Independent regarding the find of the HMS Resolution, a 17th Century wreck. The Resolution was 121ft long and weighed 885 tons, and was report to have sank in the legendary 120mph “perfect hurricane” that ripped across the south of England during the night of 26 November 1703.
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USS Oriskany scuba diving review ‘You can float around it like you are a bird’ May 27, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , 2comments
Following the sinking of the USS Oriskany to create the world’s largest artificial reef, and the excellent photos of the wreck by the first divers able to scuba dive the wreck, there are now reports coming out about just good a dive it is.
In an article at Pensacola News Journal.com, Polyana da Costa interviewed some of the divers who have been lucky enough to dive the USS Oriskany.
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BSAC issue statement on wreck protection review May 23, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : News, WreckDiving , add a commentFollowing concerns by scuba divers about some proposed legislation regarding historic wrecks the BSAC managed to hold meetings with government officials and have issued this report;
British divers will not be ‘overlooked’ by the government while reviewing historic wreck laws, according to the UK’s scuba diving governing body. BSAC representatives met with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites (ACHWS) and other main diving agencies to discuss proposals for new wreck laws in the UK.
‘We are addressing this issue and are in the process of nominating a representative for future occasions,’ said BSAC underwater heritage advisor, Jane Maddocks. ‘However, we have been assured that the interests of recreational divers are very much to the fore, and we are in no danger of being overlooked. We have been promised that we will be fully engaged in further stages.’
There has been growing concern in sections of the British diving community about perceived plans by the DCMS to severely restrict wreck exploration, including a complete ban on diving wrecks more than 50-years-old. Maddocks said this had never been an option.
‘There is not and never has been any suggestion that all wrecks over 50-years-old would be made historic wreck sites that would need licenses before we could dive them,’ she said. ‘What is correct is that historic assets are beyond wreck - the discussion is about what is 50-years-old or older that might need management. Marine sites may also have historic potential, such as remains of slipways from the D-Day landings. Again it was emphasised to us that the groups are working groups and are not preparing draft legislation.’
Maddocks said that BSAC had been told that the British diving community would be involved throughout the process.
‘We were assured that no legislation would be introduced, irrespective of the mechanism, without full consultation of all stakeholder groups, including the diving organisations,’ she added. ‘It is important that we continue to build on the links we have made with DCMS. It is right that we are vigilant, but we have a way forward now, and we can be very confident that we are recognised as important stakeholders in the maritime environment.’
Pictures from the USS Oriskany, the new artificial reef May 22, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : WreckDiving , 1 comment so farBill Reals over at Divester has posted a link to a bunch of great pictures showing the state of the USS Oriskany, a new artificial reef, which was sunk last week, one of the largest intentionally sunk shipwrecks in the world. It is now resting upright in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola.
As you can see, the visibility looks fantastic, a bit better than the two metres we had last week on the Empress Of India 
