Wreck diving

Being an island, Britain's history is inextricably linked with the sea. A combination of wars, extreme weather conditions and human error has left tens of thousands of wrecks sprinkled around the UK. Britain is thought to have the highest concentration of shipwrecks in the world.

Many of these wrecks are dived on a regular basis and British divers are among the most wreck-obsessed on the planet. They like nothing more than scouring the remains of an historic wooden fighting ship or delving inside vast metal structures, exploring bridges, hulls and engines.

Wrecks come in all shapes and sizes and can be some of the easiest and most demanding of dives. It is essential that you dive a wreck to your own skill level. A lot of divers are content to spend a whole dive swimming around the outside of a wreck without entering. If you do enter a wreck, you must make sure you have the correct training and skills to do so safely.

In low visibility, which may mean you can't even see your hand in front of your face, it's difficult to tell what you may find. A shadow looming in front of you could even be a shipwreck that no one knew existed and could be the start of a lifelong obsession. Coming upon an unexpected shipwreck is an indescribable thrill and it's within British waters that you're most likely to do this.

A ship's bell may give away the name or there may be some other evidence of the mystery vessel's identity. It's often the case though that divers will return to the surface with no real clue to the name. Many just can't stop themselves poring over old ship records in an attempt to track down the identity of unnamed wrecks and some devote years to looking for vital clues.

Shipwrecks provide a unique window on the past; they are a single moment of history captured and preserved. As a result, many are under government protection because of their archaeological value or because they are recognized war graves.

Some sites are managed and have special diving trails with underwater display boards to explain the layout. The Nautical Archaeological Society have information on managed wrecks and run courses in maritime archaeology for all levels of interest.

Wreck laws

Shipwrecks play an important part in piecing together moments of history and need to be preserved, which is why many are protected by a number of laws. In the UK, more than 50 wrecks, dating as far back as the Bronze Age, are designated under the 1973 Protection of Wrecks Act. Divers must apply for a licence to dive these designated sites and must not touch or remove anything. They must treat them with the same respect as a historic monument on land.

The 1986 Protection of Military Remains Act is enforced by the Ministry of Defence and restricts diver access to some shipwrecks and aircraft wrecks 'known to contain remains of service personnel'. In most cases, divers are allowed to visit these 'war graves', but only on a strictly look-but-don't-touch basis. Divers must not enter such wrecks, disturb them or remove any artefacts. All protected wrecks are indicated on Admiralty charts and are marked by buoys or warning notices on the shore nearby.

Over the years, divers have been known to collect souvenirs from wrecks. Anything removed from a wreck site must be declared to the Receiver of Wreck at the Coastguard Agency in Southampton. All objects must be declared, even if you own the wreck that the material has come from. Items are held by the Receiver for a year and a day and, if not claimed by their owner during that time, become the property of the Crown. These items may be auctioned or given back to the diver that found them. If auctioned, the diver is entitled to a salvage award from the proceeds.

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