TORBET ON THE TUBE
The rights and wrongs of wreck snorkelling
Should snorkellers visit shipwrecks ? Andy Torbet says yes , but we are each of us responsible for determining and addressing the risks posed
PHOTO : DAN BOLT
Andy finds a safe swim-through on a shallow shipwreck .
Shipwrecks ... Evocative , steeped in history and often festooned with wildlife . The idea of diving shipwrecks is one of the reasons many are attracted to the underwater world . Even as children the idea speaks of adventure , discovery and , of course ,
64 treasure . But we needn ’ t go to pirate boltholes in the Caribbean , or don deep sea diving gear . The rich , long sea-faring history of Britain has left thousands of wrecks scattered around our shores and a few of them are shallow enough to be accessed by snorkellers .
Snorkeller Ian Tannock finds some aircraft wreckage in a mountain lake , replacing it where it had been found .
PHOTO : ANDY TORBET
I have snorkelled a number of wrecks the length and breadth of the country . The HMS Port Napier is a great example . Sitting in the relatively sheltered waters of the Kyle of Lochalsh , this Second World War mine-carrier is surprisingly intact and breaks the surface at low tide , making it accessible even for those not willing to duck-dive . On the other side of the UK , we have the Louis Shied off South Devon , or the small submarines in Falmouth Bay . We even have a snorkel-friendly plane wreck in Red Tarn , Britain ’ s highest lake .
I have found these man-made , metal monuments to have become , rather than an environmental eye-sore , an oasis of wildlife . The underwater edifice acts , initially , as a virgin site to be colonised ; the structure offers the equivalent of caves , cracks and walls to a wide array of creatures .