A DIVE INTO HISTORY
Growing up barely 30 kilometres from the
now marine protected area (MPA) of Baia, this
underworld wonderland, an ancient Roman city
underwater, completely enchanted me. I still
remember my first dive there as a curious teenager.
At that time it was unprotected and many divers
swam off with ancient amphora and other important
relics. I returned to Baia recently after many years
absence and I was very happy to see things had
changed for the better.
The Italian government declared Baia an MPA in
2002. This resulted in the banning of commercial
and recreational boats and the laying of clear
demarcation buoys indicating protected areas.
Since then much underwater conservation work has
been undertaken by government authorities, and
marine activities have been regulated. Diving centres
operating in the area have been entrusted with
handling tourist traffic and site control.
The proper management and preservation
of underwater cultural heritage sites pose the
greatest challenges of contemporary underwater
archaeological science. Many important international
organisations, including UNESCO, focus on how to
retain the integrity of such sites while simultaneously
opening them to the public.
Archaeological sites differ from most shipwrecks
by their close proximity to the coast and shallows.
They are easier to manage and allow the creation of
protected “underwater museums”. However, this
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Being able to dive around
this area of extreme
historical interest is
absolutely incredible
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can also create problems such as plundering and
human damage, physical damage from tides, waves
and storms, and biological damage from
fast-growing marine organisms.
A large part of Baia, including buildings, floors,
columns, mosaics and roads, is now preserved
underwater as a result of bradyseism. This is
a volcanic phenomenon which causes huge
geomorphological changes due to the slow sinking
and re-emergence of the mainland. Scientists deduce
past and current events by studying the re-emerged
marble columns of Puteoli’s temple (Macellum) in
the historical centre of Pozzuoli, a beautiful little
fishing village beside Baia.
Being able to dive around this area of extreme
historical interest is absolutely incredible, and
being designated an MPA for many years has
also encouraged a wealth of sea life to flourish
amongst the ancient Roman ruins, so every dive is
extra interesting.
There are several dive sites both inside and outside
the designated park. Baia was a very large city at
the time, and the entire coastline is crammed with