This is the only recreational activity reviewed to date which has provided the initial stimulus for conservation, ie interest in the marine environment, and the Marine Conservation Society grew out of the recreational activity of diving. It is also the only activity which is focussed particularly on sites of high nature conservation and archaeological interest. Hence marine conservation could not function without diving, but there can be much conflict of interest.

The activity takes place in estuarine, coastal and inland waters. Diving in freshwater sites is already well controlled on National Trust property, and should continue to be. Cave diving, like caving and potholing, should be subject to area strategies.

Guiding principles

1. Sub-aqua diving by small groups (generally six) and organised groups is an appropriate activity and welcomed in National Trust waters, with permission.

2. The National Trust supports the Joint Nautical Archaeological Policy Committee (JNAPC) and other agencies seeking to protect coastal and maritime archaeological sites.

3. Commercial use will generally be regarded as inappropriate in National Trust waters.

4. There must be no collection or taking of specimens of plant, animal or any other material in National Trust waters without written authority, as stipulated in the National Trust's Byelaws. Divers should be encouraged to report new finds to the appropriate authority (see Contacts and Liaison).

Good practice
Promote the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) Code of Conduct to protect conservation interests at launching points.

Monitor use by divers and endeavour to investigate impacts (both beneficial and detrimental) more closely. Ensure divers are familiar with the BSAC Divers' Code of Conduct and Safe Diving Practice or an equivalent.

Ensure that divers do not use National Trust sites to bring ashore material from wrecks.

Ensure access restrictions and/or speed restrictions operate in the vicinity of important seabird sites and seal breeding or haul-out sites.

Prevent access to particularly sensitive underwater sites by roping them off, or by other controls as listed.

Confine anchoring to particular sites.

Ensure noise from compressed air cylinders does not disturb birds, seals or visitors.

Provide specialist literature on the interest of sites, protected wreck sites, where to go, the reasons for controls and National Trust practice.

Establish zoning, incorporating sanctuary areas and permit-only areas.

Ensure, as far as practicable, that divers do not approach cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises).

Operate a booking system that incorporates restrictions, eg stipulate check in/check out, limit the number of divers, including the number of divers in a group (eg max. 20), limit the number of novice divers in sensitive sites, and ensure there is a satisfactory ratio of trained divers to novices, for both safety and conservation reasons (ideally 1 novice:1 dive leader), limit the number of boats and/or cars.

Ensure divers have identifiable marks.

Monitoring suggestions
Collect data on levels of use. Establish underwater monitoring programmes in selected sites in collaboration with BSAC and with professional advice. Farne Islands, Northumbria: levels of diving are being monitored on a regular basis as part of BSAC research

Trends
An estimated 80-90,000 people dive in the UK. BSAC membership increasing dramatically: 1960 - 5,000; 1970 - 13,721; 1980 - 27,075; 1990 - 36,434; 1995 - 55,000. 20% of membership is overseas. Records show that in 1992 70,000 divers undertook 1.5 million dives around the coast of the UK.

Possible impacts

• Monitoring and recording of the underwater and marine environments, leading to better understanding and increased knowledge.
• Promotion of the importance of the underwater environment; increased awareness of related issues.
• Assistance with wardening, litter collection, etc.
• Disturbance of underwater fauna, shore birds and seals.
• Physical damage to fragile and delicate organisms, from anchoring, knocking with fins and unwieldy equipment. Novices known to cause much more damage than experienced divers.
• Collecting and removal of specimens - shown to deplete local populations and reduce average size of individuals locally. Impact most severe from commercial collecting, but collecting for research purposes has also caused damage.
• Physical damage to archaeological sites.
• Associated parking and launching requirements.
• Conflict with other user groups, eg fishermen, power and non-power boat users etc.

Contacts and liaison

The Receiver of Wrecks (RoW) (finds in the UK)
The Coastguard Agency,
Spring Place,
105 Commercial Road,
Southampton
SO15 1EG

Tel: 023 8032 9474

Commission on Historical Monuments in England (RCHME) (finds in England)
National Monuments Record Centre,
Kemble Drive,
Swindon
SN2 2GZ

Tel: 01973 414600

RCAHMW (finds in Wales)
Government Building,
Plas Crug,
Aberystwyth,
Dyfed
SY23 1NJ

Tel: 01970 621200

DoE (Northern Ireland) (finds in N Ireland)
Environment and Heritage Service,
5-33 Hill Street,
Belfast
BT1 2LA

Tel: 028 9023 5000

The British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC)
Telford's Quay,
Ellesmere Port,
South Wirral, Cheshire L65 4FY

Tel: 0151 350 6200
Fax: 0151 350 6215
Web site: www.bsac.com
Contact: Technical Support Manager

The BSAC was founded in 1953 and in 1958 was recognised by the Sports Council as the UK governing body for the sport. The BSAC is the largest diving club in the world and an authority on recreational diving and diver training. It has 1,250 branches and affiliated clubs in the UK and over 200 BSAC schools. Each year it trains some 20,000 people to dive. A Branch and Contact List is produced regularly.

The Cave Diving Group (CDG)
169, Nutgrove Road,
Nutgrove,
St Helens,
Lancs
WA9 5JH

Contact: Secretary

Nautical Archaeology Society
Membership:
206 Moorview Way,
Skipton,
North Yorkshire
BD23 2TN

Training and Projects:
19 College Road,
HM Naval Base,
Portsmouth
PO1 3LJ

Tel./Fax: 023 9281 8419 72

Marine Conservation Society (MCS)
9, Gloucester Road,
Ross on Wye,
Herefordshire
HR9 5BU

Tel: 0198 956 6017

The MCS is a national voluntary organisation concerned with all aspects of conservation of marine life and habitats, principally in UK waters. It provides expertise in habitat conservation, interpretation, monitoring and recording techniques and wardening, as well as a very wide range of marine issues.

British Society of Underwater Photographers
60 St Helen's Gardens,
London
W10 6LH

Contact: Secretary

Legislation, codes and agreements

The National Trust supports the BSAC Code of Conduct.

All finds should be reported to the Receiver of Wrecks (RoW) in the first instance, and the RCHME, RCAHMW and BSAC if advised otherwise by the RoW. Newly discovered wreck sites or finds should be marked using marker buoys and their positions fixed through either GPS or land bearings.

Note: It is an offence not to report finds to the RoW under the Merchant Shipping Act (1894).

Under archaeological legislation there are potentially tens of thousands of wrecks off the UK coast, many of which are known and have been recorded but are not protected by law. The Protection of Wrecks Act (1973) provides protection for 47 wreck sites around the UK, and restricts access to licensed divers. Licences are issued by the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites for the DCMS (soon to be delegated to English Heritage), CADW, Historic Scotland and EHS NI.

In UK law, ownership of material lost at sea resides in the original owners or their successors, unless it can be shown that abandonment occurred. Finds are held by the RoW for one year, after which if no one owner can be found the find is often passed to the finder in lieu of salvage award. Important archaeological finds are often offered to museums for conservation.

Inland sites, eg rivers and quarries, are treated as normal archaeological sites and some are protected as Scheduled Ancient Monuments. Ownership of finds is the same as for land.

References

British Sub-Aqua Club - 'Diver', monthly magazine.

British Sub-Aqua Club (1998). Safe Diving Practices. BSAC National Diving Committee, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

British Sub-Aqua Club (1998). BSAC Environmental Policy.

Countryside Council for Wales (1992). Skomer Marine Nature Reserve - Dos and Don'ts (including Code of Conduct). Countryside Council for Wales, Aberystwyth.

Dean, M. et al (eds) (1992). Archaeology Underwater, The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice.

English Heritage and RCHME (1996) England's Coastal Heritage, A Statement on the Management of Coastal Archaeology. English Heritage, London, RCHME, Swindon.

English Nature et al (undated). Lundy Marine Nature Reserve Zoning Scheme. English Nature, Okehampton, Devon.

Gubbay, S. (1994). Management Information Chart - a zoning plan for Portland Harbour, Poole Harbour and The Solent. Prepared for English Nature.

JNAPC (1995). Code of Practice for Seabed Developers.

National Environment Research Council (1973). Marine Wildlife Conservation - an assessment of evidence of a threat to marine wildlife and the need for conservation measures.

RCHME (1996). The National Inventory of Maritime Archaeology for England. RCHME, Swindon.

Robertson, P. (1995). Marine Archaeology and Lundy Marine Nature Reserve. An assessment for English Nature and the Landmark Trust.

Spashett, L. (1994). Muddy Puddles. A guide to inland dive sites within a radius of Leeds. Available from the author, purpleacathus@yahoo.co.uk.

Sports Council and Countryside Commission (1995). Good Practice in the Planning and Management of Sport and Active Recreation in the Countryside. Case Study on Purbeck Marine Wildlife Nature Reserve.