Main image: Bristol Channel Divers
Over the summer, the BSAC Marine Champion network has been engaging in a series of ‘Action Weekends’, coordinating and delivering marine environment and citizen science projects. With August the peak time for diving and snorkelling activity, this month’s call to action was to incorporate ‘diving with a purpose’ into their club’s plans.
From marine surveys and data recording to in-dive underwater litter picks and post-dive beach cleans, our Marine Champions rose to the challenge. BSAC’s Environment Chair, Katherine Knight said the Action Weekends have been a great way to showcase the diverse activities across the Marine Champion network:
I am delighted by the way our Marine Champions are positively engaging their clubs to help protect and advocate for our precious marine environment. I look forward to seeing even more BSAC members, divers and snorkellers getting involved and making a difference over the coming months.
With the weather continuing to shine favourably on our Marine Champions as we work towards the final Action Weekend on 5-6 September, here are just a few of their August Action Weekend stories:
Cayman Islands Divers
Burghead SAC
Based in the north east of Scotland, Burghead SAC focused on a local coastal landmark - the Burghead Pipe – for their August Action Weekend activities, combining beach cleaning with an underwater litter pick. Led by the club’s Marine Champion, Kerry Fraser, the club enjoyed a productive day, which also saw them collaborating with a local coastal community group on the beach clean.
Three full bin bags of marine litter were collected as a result of their efforts. The club has now produced a fabulous video documenting their day which, says Kerry, will be the first of many:
The whole idea of doing good created a real positive vibe on the boat and after the dive.
Cayman Islands Divers
The wreck of the Cali in George Town harbour was the location for Cayman Islands Divers’ August Action Weekend underwater litter pick. The club’s Marine Champion Samantha Cooper said the wreck was ‘unfinished business’ as they had been unable to clear all the marine litter on a previous dive:
I'm happy to report that this time we got the rest of it and now it looks pristine. It's very satisfying to see it looking so good!
Bristol Channel Divers
Members from Bristol Channel Divers added a diving with a purpose theme to their August club trip to the Isles of Scilly, conducting an underwater habitat survey on Tolman Ledge, off St Mary’s. They also helped to record and tag crayfish during the week.
The club’s Marine Champion, Dave Walker, takes up the story:
Tolman Ledge off St Mary’s is a site where South West Water is trying to get permission for a short sewage outlet against vigorous local opposition. The objective was to provide some independent scientific information on the habitats as well as photos and video.
The site is a beautiful, richly diverse set of habitats comprising a wall of jewel anemones, encrusting algae, cup corals, red fingers and feather stars, ledges rich in sponges: globular, chimney, finger, crater, volcano and encrusting; and a seabed of coarse sand rich with dahlia anemone & sand brittle star. It is currently very clean and free from sediment.
The results of their survey will be submitted to help objections against the plans.
Katherine Knight – BSAC Environment Chair
The BSAC Marine Champion team have also been out and about this month, with Environment Chair Katherine Knight making a remarkable discovery while on a native oyster survey in Scotland. During the survey, Katherine and three other divers discovered a live oyster bed and counted no less than 115 native oysters making it their home. Katherine said after her dive:
This was an exciting find considering that they were thought to have almost vanished from the area. The findings have since been logged and reported to BSAC’s Operation Oyster project, which is supporting the identification and restoration of the UK’s native oyster populations.
You can watch Katherine’s post-dive video update here
The final Marine Champion Action Weekend for this summer will be 5-9 September.
Interested in becoming a Marine Champion for your BSAC club?
Sign up now at bsac.com/marinechampions
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