Low Impact Diving

A Finite Resource Dive To Preserve Over the course of almost two centuries, much • The goal of the LOW of Ontario’s marine heritage resource has been remarkably well preserved. The cold S.O.S. Dive To IMPACT dark waters of the Great Lakes and their Preserve program tributaries have provided archaeologists, sport is the preserva- divers and dive charter operators a unique tion of Marine DIVING opportunity - to discover our heritage. Heritage through Although the term may be overused, a participation and shipwreck is in fact a time capsule. It education represents what its builder believed to be the • The program offers a number of best technology available at the time of projects such as Adopt-A-Wreck, construction. This fact is very important when intended for divers of all skill and it comes to the study of earlier ships, as there are very few blue prints available. It is up to commitment levels us to preserve this time capsule for other to • Educational Material such as the enjoy and explore. Low Impact Diving course material will provide divers with an understanding of their maritime legacy, the impact that they can have, their role in preservation, and the laws protecting heritage sites in Ontario Robert Gaskin - May 2007 - BEFORE For More Information www.SaveOntarioShipwrecks.on.ca www.DiveToPreserve.org The increased popularity of sport diving has If you witness: anything being removed proportionally increased the pressure to which from a heritage site; anything else our fragile marine heritage is being subjected. Over time many shipwrecks have literally heritage related like an anchor or ship become worn out, most often inadvertently by part being moved or removed from the divers. It must be remembered, that once water; or any damage or digging on a damaged, the site is forever altered. It cannot site; PLEASE (it's your duty) CALL: be repaired or replaced. It is a finite resource that is forever lost. But YOU can do OPP or CRIME STOPPERS something to help; YOU and your buddies can 1-888-310-1122 1-800-222-TIPS become LOW IMPACT DIVERS. Robert Gaskin - June 2007 -AFTER Low Impact Diving Your Marine Heritage The Do’s & Don’ts WHAT IS IT? The Great Lakes and their surrounding Become a Low Impact Diver waterways form a transportation network that Low Impact Diving refers to having minimal • Don’t disturb or remove artefacts played a vital role in the development of inland contact a site. It is an effective procedure to North America. These waterways provided • Don’t remove or disturb protective silt help preserve historic sites. Impact has an access for explorers and settlers who sought and do not remove Zebra muscles immediate and long-term negative effect. the rich natural resources of the region. • Don’t fin hard or close to the dive site There are two key aspects to consider. • Don’t clutch, grab, rub or hang onto hull, Beginning with the fur traders and their canoes components, machinery or the wheel Low Impact Diving begins with the most basic to the 307m (1000ft) freighters of today, a truly • Avoid landings, or the careless skill learned as a diver - proper buoyancy unique shipping legacy was created. The depositing of equipment on the site control. This skill alone is vital for the waters that provided the opportunity for • Don’t “anchor into a wreck” or “attach a preservation of heritage sites. Long-term prosperity could also be unforgiving. mooring line to a structure” - avoid documentation has shown the effects of divers Thousands of men, women and children lost contact between the boat and shallow constantly bumping or rubbing certain parts of their lives on these waters and it is sites - avoid prop wash a wreck until they break off or wear down. conservatively estimated that over 4,000 • Do exercise proper dive planning Improper buoyancy control also leads to the wrecks lay on the bottom. These shipwrecks • Do develop your diving skills before disturbance of silt and other natural protective are memorials to the lives lost as well as to visiting a heritage site through practice barriers on wrecks that will accelerate the those who built and sailed them. Sunken and additional courses such as Low deterioration process. ships provide us with a direct connection with Impact Diving, peak buoyancy and wreck our maritime heritage. They allow the pages diving courses The second cornerstone of being a Low of history to come alive so that we may enjoy • Do stay 1m (3ft) off heritage sites Impact Diver is not to touch or remove a greater understanding of our past. They are artefacts from a site. Not only is moving, • Do exercise proper buoyancy control YOUR history. removing or altering artefacts illegal, it • Do look but don’t touch reduces the historical value of the site and it • Do use appropriate finning technique takes away from the enjoyment of others. As Preservation begins • Do streamline your equipment with improper buoyancy control, uncovering or moving artefacts will disturb the natural with YOU! By following the above simple points, biological and chemical protection the YOU can make a difference, artefacts have developed, thus accelerating Give YOUR past YOU are a Low Impact Diver ! their deterioration. a future By following these two simple rules - buoyancy control and “look but don’t touch” you are well HANDS OFF! on your way to becoming a Low Impact Dive To Preserve! poster Diver. Artwork: Cover photos courtesy: Warren Lo Photography © 2007 Holly Veley L.I.D. on the Marsh photo courtesy: Vlada Dekina © 2007 Don’t wreck the wrecks! Brochure design and text by S.O.S. © 2008 Thousand Islands Secondary School .

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