ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
2023 : A year to remember ?
If you can ’ t find a project that suits your members , then why not plan something tailored to your club ’ s skillset ? Jane Maddocks has some
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love this time of year . Boats are booked , diaries filled in , project planning underway , and the 2.5kg that my suit seemed to have shrunk by , has disappeared ! It is all ahead of us , so much enjoyment promised .
It is probable that branches who are keen on diving with a purpose have quite healthy retention rates . I have been lucky enough to be able to talk to lots of divers recently . They have been sharing with me what they have been doing to keep their branch members loving being able to use all their training to do something they enjoy .
Training takes time and effort , not to mention money . If we just do training so that we can produce divers who can do more training we are missing out on so much . My personal view is that training allows us to go diving competently and with a purpose . It is a way of travelling to fun . If you dive commercially , it ’ s just another way of travelling to work . The work is on the underwater site . To me the same principle applies to recreational diving .
So , what have these divers been talking about ? Underwater litter picks are high on the branch member satisfaction scale . Branch members of all levels can be
involved , and a real feeling of benefitting the environment has been mentioned as a really good reason for doing it .
One branch has programmed in monthly underwater litter picks on their favourite inshore dive sites from April to October . They intend to record what they find under various categories .
For me , this ticks all the branch project boxes . It is run by the branch for their members . It is inclusive , in that everyone can join in at some level , and in July and August there is mention of barbecues . At the end it also has benefits for the environment . Litter is removed , and the type of litter recorded . If this is repeated over several years it will be a really useful record of changes in what we discard .
Get everyone involved
Sometimes it ’ s too easy to just sit and wait for ‘ someone ’ to organise a project that you can join . A branch project has so much to offer . It need not be large-scale ; it can be tailored to your members .
“ The wreck enthusiasts and the marine life enthusiasts can both contribute hugely ”
Another branch is organising a team to put together a diver trail on the members ’ favourite wreck . The wreck is shallow at 15m , has recognisable features and a lot of marine life . This involves the most experienced divers in setting out the diver trail .
The wreck enthusiasts and the marine life enthusiasts can both contribute hugely . Researchers are going to find the story behind the ship , and the photographers are working on how to make a 3D model using the relevant software .
The whole branch has the chance to produce something that will make their diving productive , with a great end product . This is not a national project but it is taking diving further , and the branch should really enjoy the challenge .
And finally , there are the big efforts , such as BSAC ’ s Operation Oyster project , that can use data from all your branch dives . The advantage is that all number crunching and data organisation are done centrally . Another advantage is that even if you don ’ t see a native oyster on your dive , it can still be useful to send in a report . Check it out at bsac . com / operationoyster
There are other organisations involved in recording and rewilding kelp beds and seagrass . A check on their websites may identify some volunteering opportunities for individual divers .
I top up any project gaps in my life by continuing my Seasearch training and diving ; and getting involved in Nautical Archaeology Society ( NAS ) projects . I am also diving with friends to record again my very favourite shipwreck in all the world , and I shall just do a quick ‘ dive by ’ assessment of the condition of a WW2 submarine lost behind the Isle of Wight . All we need now is the weather . �
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