ENVIRONMENT
Taking it further
Prepping a project
Jane Maddocks offers tips on how to get a diving project off the ground , in addition to a great source for funding
The last 10 years of SCUBA have gone in a flash , an amazing birthday , congratulations ! For me , as days get shorter , it is time to think and plan for diving projects for 2022 . I have a wreck that still needs three questions answered and I am going to do my Seasearch Surveyor qualification . I also hope to get my first live net recoveries with Ghost Fishing UK and am reading up about drowned landscapes as other friends ’ academic projects come up in the diary .
Diving never ceases to give me adventures and friendships . Thinking about 2022 , are you or your diving friends thinking about undertaking a project ? A project does not have to be a major event . It can be as straightforward as making a short guide to your favourite shore diving site .
Your guide could show what creatures you may find as you swim out from shore , for example where that tompot blenny hides , and where you may see octopus in September . You could add navigation and pilotage hints , so that your divers get a real sense of achievement as they get back to shore exactly where they left it .
I would love to see a branch guide – for instance – to what is where underwater on Swanage Pier . It would be so useful if it were posted on our BSAC website . Some of our best shore diving sites could be recorded by your branch and made available to members . Shore dives around Scottish sea lochs would provide great material for diver guides , merging topography with the marine life .
If you want to take it even further , you may want to think about getting a British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust ( BSAJT ) grant . To qualify for a grant , the project should be ‘ outside normal branch activities .’ It should be of ‘ interest to the British diving community ’ and the end product must be a report sent to BSAJT .
As an example , you may want to record a rocky outcrop that you do not normally
dive . Taking it further may involve observing the marine life on various parts of the reef and report on changes through the seasons . You may be recording against depth , and water temperature , and use the information to create a report that involves interpreting what your group have observed .
You could also check out the new short guide to projects that should be up on the BSAC website very soon .
Planning for 2022
Gavin Anthony , the Chair of BSAJT Trustees , says that one of the key features of a grant-worthy project is that successful candidates don ’ t just set out to record , interpretation is key . To see a range of projects that have been given awards go to bsac . com / jubileetrust and read carefully .
Then go to Jubilee Trust Funded Projects – there are stacks of ideas there , but really important is the invitation to seek advice from the Trustees if you have a project in mind . They are an amazing resource of advice , and very approachable .
Gavin adds that although you don ’ t have to be a BSAC member to apply for a grant , you should do a full risk assessment and dive to BSAC safe diving best practice .
Another effective way of moving forward for projects , whether or not you go for a BSAJT grant , is to get together with two or three others and think about what you would like to do , with everyone chipping in ideas on how to take it further .
How about a measured record of your branch ’ s favourite wreck , then doing a photogrammetry survey of a small part , the anchor winch ? You may have a member who is brilliant at underwater video , while another loves doing research . Record what you have discovered and send your report to me jane . maddocks @ bsac . com as an entry for the BSAC Wreck Award for 2022 .
It could be the best year ever for diving with a purpose . �
■ More information on UK snorkel trails can be found here :
dorsetwildlifetrust . org . uk / wild-seas-centre
https :// whaletrail . org
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