ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
The Test of Time
Our stories can sometimes outlive our lives , says Jane Maddocks , who asks what sort of a legacy we can leave for a future generation of divers
The past month has been quite unusual . I have had two queries in my inbox , both asking about events from many years ago . One also seeks more recent information . These have stood out for me because they are an example of how divers and those who want to investigate the underwater world , really have taken it further . Two events took place in the 60s but are still engaging members – including myself – in further investigation .
The first : an enquiry from a museum . In July 1968 , East London BSAC donated an object that weighed 5cwt ( 254 kg ) to Portland Museum . The brass label and the artefact ( quite a big one ) had got separated . Could I help with identifying any dive logs from this branch ?
The HQ team and I tried . No trace was found . It did make me think , though . Nowadays a branch would have had a paper trail ; a Marine Management Organisation ( MMO ) licence , together with a droit sent to the Receiver of Wreck and a record of the final destination of the object . We filed a tentative identification of the object as a cannon from Chesil , and further research is ongoing .
The second mail was equally exciting . Kristine Nessler ’ s father , an American serviceman , had learned to dive in Harrogate with a BSAC branch in the early 60s . He went on to a career in film and media , but when he retired , he really did take his diving experiences further .
He devoted over 11,000 hours to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago as a tank diver , specialising in feeding eels and pufferfish . He was even asked to design a hyperbaric chamber for ailing seahorses . Kristine Nessler ended her email with ‘ His time at BSAC was inspiring to him … he spoke of his time diving in England with great joy .’
Both stories are more than 50 years old , but are still alive today . In 50 years ’ time what stories will you have created that are still being told ? In 2072 , what legacy could you leave ?
Here ’ s a final email request from last month – I would love any help from anyone who have dived HMS Invincible from the Battle of Jutland . A member in Australia wants to know if any divers with footage of the battle cruiser have any evidence of deployed anti-torpedo nets ( ATN ). I can ’ t see any in any footage I have looked at , and all other records suggest no ATNs , but if you dived the wreck and know better , please let me know .
All these are blasts from the past . Modern legislation should mean that we should have more access to wreck material , because its recovery will have been recorded somewhere . It can be irritating and time consuming to complete forms and licence applications , but in the end , it leaves a record that we can look at when queries come from members .
My concern is now much more with the maritime environment . For a long time ‘ out of sight ’ has been ‘ out of mind ’. Taking it further now could mean that we really do take global warming seriously . Can we reduce our consumption of single-use plastic ?
Where I live , we have sewage spills on a potentially worrying level , with no money to invest in better treatment works . Bottom trawlers fish in Marine Protected Areas and Marine Conservation Zones may not be as protected as we would like to think .
I also need to remember as I swim over a site that my fin action and my dangly gauges can also damage a sensitive environment .
As BSAC members , we have said that the marine environment is really important to us . The new strategy places environmental issues at the heart of what we will do . I am thinking through how I dive , and how I respond to issues as they occur .
In 2072 I would love clean seas to be part of the legacy of today ’ s generation of BSAC members .. �
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