DATELINE :- 14th June 2000
WRECKS ACCORD
Dive organisations to suck it and see
Following the joint Respect Our Wrecks declaration, announced by the BSAC, PADI and SAA at London's International Dive Show in March, Diver has been looking further into what the measure will mean in practice.
The initiative, backed by a memorandum of understanding, is intended to focus divers' attention more clearly on their legal responsibilities towards wrecks, both civil and military. The move comes at a time when both custodians of protected historic sites and the MoD have become increasingly concerned at rising levels of illegal tampering with wrecks for which they are responsible.
One key campaigner for stronger protection of military remains has expressed the view that diving organisations should, if necessary, pledge full support to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency or the police in investigations into wrongdoings.
The Rev Andrew Phillips, of Friends of War Memorials Maritime Division, told Diver: "If such agencies are not prepared to enforce such a code or to help provide evidence in criminal investigations, one must ask if there was any practical point signing it at all other than as a useful PR exercise."
But that is a harsh view of developments, in the opinion of the diving organisations. Comments to Diver by the BSAC, PADI and SAA have made it clear that, for the moment, the most that can realistically be expected of them is that they "educate" (a word used by all three) their members as to their duties - and then, presumably, hope for the best.
In cases where wrong-doings are known to have occurred among divers, the organisations all cite individual "peer pressure" as probably the most effective way in which transgressors can be shamed into declaring, say, illegal salvage.
"It would be unfair to expect the club, at national level, to start advocating members shopping other members," Lizzie Bird, BSAC National Diving Officer, told Diver at the time of the policy launch. "That's down to the individual. But we are definitely out to educate our members on their responsibilities, and regard peer pressure among friends as the most realistic form of influence."
Stuart Bryan, of the SAA, has taken the same line. "Respect Our Wrecks is largely an educational initiative at this point in time," he said. But, hinting that policy is always evolving, he added: "Depending on divers' responses, we will see what is required further." Bryan added that it was a minority of divers who caused problems and that peer pressure from "increasingly disgusted mates" would have a more and more powerful effect. "Irresponsible wrecking is an attitude that's slowly dying out," he said optimistically.
Suzanne Pleydell, PADI Training Manager, told Diver: "We're all trying to instil good wreck-diving practices and, as such, education is our forte and is the most effective approach we can take... Ultimately, peer pressure is a very potent tool to effect change.
"Any allegations should be directed to the Receiver of Wreck or Ministry of Defence, who have powers to pros-ecute those who flout the law," she said.
But then, moving more firmly than the other diving organisations towards the idea of providing direct information to the authorities, she added: "Any allegations made to PADI would be redirected to the Receiver of Wreck for appropriate investigation."
Pleydell confirmed that PADI had already distributed Respect Our Wrecks materials to each of its members, private and trade. A month after the initiative's launch , the BSAC told us it had no plans to send out a policy statement to individual members or to branches or schools. The SAA said it did plan to mail members but had yet to send out packages in late April. But both the BSAC and SAA said: "It's all on our website."