Inspired by recent articles on survey hacks , Kerry MacKay offers advice on how to mitigate the impact of project diving on the marine environment
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ENVIRONMENT
Pushing pencil power
Inspired by recent articles on survey hacks , Kerry MacKay offers advice on how to mitigate the impact of project diving on the marine environment
Following Jane Maddocks ’ recent tips for underwater surveys , I thought I ’ d chip in with my own advice for reducing your impact while doing surveys . I learned the basics of wreck surveys from Jane herself on a trip about a decade ago . We had great fun at the group accommodation building a ‘ wreck ’ out of the dining table and chairs to survey . On the same trip , I was also introduced to the Seasearch marine habitat and life surveys . Having recently graduated with an Ecology Masters , the marine biology surveys won me over instantly ( sorry Jane ).
Since then I have enjoyed surveying around the country through Seasearch , for fun , on a tall ship for the Darwin 200 project , and even got lucky enough to do the Heriot-Watt University Underwater Surveyor course in Scapa Flow , while it existed . While some of these have been exhausting and very intense , they have also been incredibly rewarding and given me the opportunity to do some fantastic dives .
Jane made some excellent wastesaving points . Making your own quadrat from leftover plastic piping is easy and cheap . I also loved her tip about
Essential tools for the sharp end of underwater surveying salvaging the measuring tape and putting it on a spare dive reel to extend its life and durability , once the original plastic surveyor reel gives up .
The most basic and universally applicable tip I have today is to do with pencils . Of course , you don ’ t have to be doing underwater surveys to want a trusty dive pencil . Fellow dive instructors will also be familiar with the joys and frustrations of using a pencil underwater . My biggest tip here is to use pencils made from recycled plastic . Shocking ! An environmentalist saying you should use plastic ! Hear me out .
From my experience , pencils made from recycled plastic cope better with the abuse we put them through . Wood pencils tend to soak up water , go soft , and break easily . People are also prone to sharpening the wooden pencil and scattering the shavings freely .
It ’ s wood , that ’ s fine , right ? Wrong ! Pencils are usually painted and the paint contains chemicals and sometimes even
“ Neoprene is a bouncy synthetic foamed rubber , sometimes called a sponge ”
“ Fellow dive instructors will also be familiar with the joys and frustrations of using a pencil underwater ”
plastics that we don ’ t want added to our environment . Because the pencil is mostly wood , we are all prone to forgetting its other constituents .
While sharpening a plastic pencil is clearly going to be even worse in this regard , there is a simple solution . Use a pencil sharpener that collects the shavings , then empty that at home into the recycling bin . Problem solved .
The real benefits of plastic pencils however , are that they do not soak up the water and split . Of course , as Jane said , always have two pencils with you . We are all well versed in the importance and benefits of back-ups . However , even with two nice pre-sharpened wooden pencils , I have found myself with one split lengthways from soaking up water and the other with the tip broken , and when I tried to sharpen it with my dive knife it snapped it because it had gone soft . Always tie your pencils to your slate . I find a tight knot with a good layer of electrical tape over the top does well . While talking of tying , when using string to make the grid on your quadrat or even a simple distance line , try to use good quality string / cord / rope . Not that blue or white plastic rope we so often use for shots . That stuff rapidly goes flaky and sheds millions of microplastic pieces every time you touch it . Once you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
have cut your string and knotted it securely , give the ends a quick pass with a lighter to melt it . This helps it last longer and stops it from fraying .
My other tips are obvious . Make sure you have good buoyancy control , don ’ t dredge the bottom with the multitude of extra survey gear you ’ ll have dangling from you . When laying quadrats or transect lines be sensitive to the habitat and critters you are laying it on . Of course , most importantly , have fun . �
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