Can Artificial Reef Wrecks Reduce Diver Impacts on Historic Shipwrecks? A Case Study from Australia

Summary

Wreck diving is an increasingly popular activity, and has seen increasing numbers of divers visiting historic shipwreck sites. In some cases this has led to adverse impacts on these sites. A range of management strategies are used to manage diver impacts, ranging from exclusion to limiting the number of divers. Another strategy that deserves closer evaluation the use of artificial reef wrecks.

Artificial reefs wrecks are popular attractions, and the number of vessels being sunk as dive sites has increased significantly in recent years, particularly in Australia and North America. Artificial reefs have been demonstrated to successfully reduce diver pressure on natural reefs, therefore it may be expected that there are similar outcomes for historic shipwrecks. This paper reports on the findings of recent study of Australian wreck divers which shows user support for the deployment of artificial reef wrecks to reduce diver impacts on culturally and historically significant wrecks.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• Fluidity and Connectedness in the Pacific: Maritime Cultural Landscapes and Seascapes

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 208