Culture

Divers get their fix with sunken ships

by MsMcReality | August 4, 2008 at 02:22 pm

1011 views | 13 Recommendations | 10 comments

You've heard about shipwreck diving., but now it's becoming more mainstream. there are about a dozen large shipwrechs of the Palos Verde coast alone. Recently discovered was the USS Plawan, at a depth of 140 feet. This can be a very dangerous journey. At such a depth it is easy for divers to get lost and the deeper you go the more quickly you loose your air.

Gini, 47, has a notebook filled with sonar charts, topographic maps and drawings he's sketched of the shipwrecks he regularly dives. He's been diving the Palawan for 20 years and still hasn't seen every room of the 441-foot ship built for service in World War II that lies off Redondo Beach.

The most popular South Bay wrecks are the Olympic and the Avalon, which are big and accessible and good spots to see lobsters, squid, octopus, crab, rock fish, horn sharks, star fish and anemones. The Avalon spent 31 years taking passengers from San Pedro to Catalina Island.

To Wilson, leaving these sunken treasures to decay in the harsh saltwater would be a crime to California's nautical history. And with strong Pacific currents and heavy wave action, stuff doesn't last as long here as it would in the Caribbean or the Great Lakes.

As prohibited by California law, divers are not allowed to tamper with shipwrecks. That is a job for archaeologists, and any wreck more than 50 years old belongs to the state and could therefor be confiscated by state authorities. Regardless of this law, there are those who believe that it's not "right" "natural" or "normal" to leave the shipwrecks to whither away at the bottom of the sea.

California Wreck Divers, which has about 200 members, is also working to increase the number of shipwrecks in local waters by supporting efforts to sink a retired Navy vessel.

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Rachel Nixon

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:01 on August 4th, 2008

MsMcReality, interesting story. Are you a diver? Do you think these wrecks should be left to the experts, or are they part of the ocean's heritage for all to explore?

MsMcReality

at 16:43 on August 4th, 2008

Thank you for the comment. To answer your question, no I am not. I have, however, been doing research with my boyfriend in a hope to maybe one day discover one of these beautiful pieces to history. I think that most wrecks should be salvaged since they add a great deal to history, and can even help us better understad it. Sometimes ships are like a missing piece to the puzzle. But then you can have it prserved in a museum or likeness to that it would, in fact, still be able to be explored.

Vinny

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:47 on August 4th, 2008

MsMcReality

at 09:58 on August 5th, 2008

Thanks Vinny!

MsMcReality

at 09:59 on August 5th, 2008

Saskia

at 22:17 on August 4th, 2008

Beecheno

at 04:13 on August 5th, 2008

Photo of a ships anchor capstan taken on a wreck in the Red Sea, Egypt, September 2007

Beecheno has contributed a photo to this story.

MsMcReality

at 10:00 on August 5th, 2008

Thank you for your photos! They're incredible!

geoff.tervet

at 03:14 on August 7th, 2008

Operation Hailstone, Feb 1944

Americal forces attacked the Japanese stronghold of Truk Lagoon in the South Pacific which proved to be a major turning point of the war in the Pacific. Hundreds of ships and aircraft were destroyed, much of which remains on the seabed in the lagoon.

Originally immortalized for the carnage, death and destruction that occurred, Truk Lagoon is now a WWII underwater museum and undoubtedly the best wreck diving site on the planet. A MUST for any wreck diver!

Geoff

geoff.tervet has contributed a photo to this story.