Marine Life & Conservation

Why don’t Diving Rules apply in the UK?

Published

5 years ago

September 5, 2019

Nic Emery

First in a new series of Blog’s from The Fifth Point’s Nic Emery… we are very excited to welcome Nic to the Scubaverse Blog Team!

I’m walking my divers down to the jetty. The path from the centre is framed by pristine rainforest enveloping the steep mountains to one side, and the golden sands with crystal clear waters lapping against it on the other. We’re chatting away about the day ahead, and what we can expect to see in the tropical waters of the South China Sea.

Hop on the boat and during the lazy hour or so drive we’re accompanied by dolphins playing on the bow wave and flying fish taking advantage of the wake.

My team of Divemasters spring up as we approach the first site and gather the divers for their briefing. Among the usual information on entry and exit procedures, signal recaps and the like, is the “don’t take, don’t touch, don’t tease” and “take only memories, leave only bubbles” spiel. It’s almost a cliché, the divers have heard it that many times. Obviously, they’re not going to do that – they’re not morons!

Flash forward a couple of weeks and the divers have returned home. They’re back ready to brave the cold waters of the UK. Suited and booted in what seems like a ton of lead compared to their holiday, they hit the water refreshed by the crispness of the North Sea. Off they go on their dive… AND IT’S A BL**DY FREE FOR ALL!

Lobsters are ragged from their holes and stuffed into goody bags alongside bullets and chunks of metal and anything that moves on a wreck. They’re clambouring over the boulders and not paying any regard to their buoyancy as they dump themselves down into what appears to be an empty sandy patch, lifting a cloud of silt into the water column.

All those good “warm water” habits have, for some inexplicable reason, been completely forgotten about. How come they don’t apply in the UK? If you were a diver in the tropics and had seen that kind of behaviour underwater, I’m pretty sure you’d have something to say about it back on the boat. But in the UK, it’s rarely challenged. In fact, more often than not, it’s embraced!

The trouble seems to lie with the general perception of cold water. It’s freezing therefore nothing could possibly live down there! It must be a pretty barren place and if there IS any life, it must be hard as nails to survive all that. The waves can be huge, so the creatures must be used to a good bashing around. That environment must be able to take whatever you throw at it.

Those who have not descended beneath the surface of the North Sea have never witnessed the beauty of the marine life that lives down there. You can understand why they’d think about the North Sea in that way. But UK divers have no excuse. They’ve seen it first-hand yet still have this belief that our cold oceans are sturdy so those rules of “no touch, no take” need not apply.

Well, I’m here to say that they ABSOLUTELY DO. We were a proud Green Fins member when we worked in the South China Sea. We reminded our divers before every single dive of the code of conduct we expected them to follow.

Take a look and tell me, with the exception of “no gloves”, which rules do not apply to UK diving and why?

Our cold-water habitats are just as fragile as any warm water coral reef. We have an abundance of soft coral and delicate anemones living on our rocky reefs that need the same care and attention as their tropical relatives. Holding on to rocks and kelp for stability (in the majority of circumstances) demonstrates an apathetic attitude towards using our buoyancy skills to their full. Even as an experienced diver, I still practise at every opportunity I get. Challenging myself to the perfect trimmed out hover while trying to accomplish some tricky underwater task. I encourage my students to do the same, performing course skills neutrally buoyant wherever possible.

I’m proud to say that my dive centre in the UK still follows the “no touch, no take” mantra that we were so used to in the tropics. Our only exception is when we come across some marine debris, which we absolutely remove and report our findings to Project AWARE.

Use and practise your buoyancy skills on every dive. Don’t hold on to anything unless it’s the absolute last resort. Think before you remove something living from the water – are you really going to eat it or will it just end up in the bin? Ask yourself what you’re going to do with that artefact you want to take from the wreck – is it just going to sit in your garage?

Protect What You Love.

Visit www.fifthpointdiving.com for more.

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

2 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Shark Trust

After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7^th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

: Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter

: Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs

: Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead

: Oceanic Whitetip by ATM

: Silky Street by ScapaJoe

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29^th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26^th November until the 7^th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

4 weeks ago

October 21, 2024

Team Scubaverse

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20^th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.