Underwater archaeological treasures

On behalf of the Federation of Underwater Activities (Malta) I would like to express our support for the initiative taken by the Ministry of Culture in preparing an inventory of our submerged archaeological treasures.

Our federation has on several occasions expressed its concern at the current state of affairs in this sphere. The sea around Malta is littered with all sorts of archaeological remains. Most items of any archaeological significance within the first 40 metres or so of depth have long been ransacked by Maltese and foreign divers alike. Now with the introduction of new diving techniques and equipment, deeper sites that have so far been beyond reach of the average sports diver are also falling within the grasp of unscrupulous individuals.

We should recognise that such sites are not only important for their archaeological significance but also have a potential economic value. Technical diving is fast becoming a popular branch of scuba diving. Such divers look for diving destinations that offer interesting dive sites such as shipwrecks lying in deep water. This is a very interesting niche market which can, and should, be tapped. Indeed this is already happening locally. The difference being that since there is no monitoring of these sites, not only locals but even more so foreigners, armed with all the latest equipment, are coming here every summer with the sole aim of pilfering our national heritage. This must stop at once. Anything of any archaeological significance lying on the seabed is part of our national heritage and should be treated as such.

We should not however go to the other extreme, as is often the case locally, that in our seemingly inability to exercise control we declare an outright ban on all sorts of diving on these sites. To do so would be the equivalent of closing Hagar Qim to the public rather than controlling and managing the site in order to avoid damage.

Our federation is prepared to help the authorities in any way it can to monitor and supervise these sites. The federation has ample knowledge both of the location of these sites as well as the type of damage being done. We believe that with minimal effort and expenses we can protect these sites before it is too late.

Making an inventory of our underwater treasures is a commendable start; let us not leave it at that.

The Federation of Underwater Activities is a member of CMAS - the world's first international diving organisation with the aim of promoting safe diving standards and practices worldwide.