Page 55 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

every diver takes a bit, a site will quickly be depleted. Protection and continued status quo is in an operator’s long-term business interest. The leisure diving industry stands to pro- fit enormously from protection, on the condition, of course, that it is combined with access. Accordingly, organizations of divers and diving instructors support sustainable approa- ches.
Access can be provided directly or through inter- mediary techniques. Diving allows for direct presence and experience on site, without necessarily being intrusive. Diving visitors can act responsibly and should be encouraged to do so. Moreover, simple preventive measures can be taken. Transparent fences enable first-hand experience, preventing intrusion without preventing access and enjoyment, when they are cleaned regularly. A site can be made accessible through closed circuit television, webcams, Remotely Operated Vehicles, 3-dimensional reproductions or other means of visualisation. Such techniques allow for indirect access and have a long history. Some such solutions are maintenance intensive, certainly, but not
 © Kyrenia Shipwreck Project. Experimental replica Kyrenia II sailing in the Aegean Sea.
This replica was built in the original ancient shell-first technique by the Hellenic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition (HIPNT). It now resides in the Thalassa Museum, Ayia Napa, Cyprus. Precise replicas can bring archaeological artefacts back
to life and thus very directly promote understanding among the general public.
Guiding considerations for the permission of public access can include the following:
1. Distinguish between access and intrusion;
2. Ban unauthorized intrusion;
3. Visitors (divers) can act responsibly, encourage
them to do so;
4. Consider:
a. Not limiting access, but channelling it;
b. the development of heritage trails;
c. allowing access under guidance of a
‘custodian’;
d. involving the leisure diving industry in
protection and management;
e. making access conditional on
responsible behaviour.
5. Limit access limitations to what is absolutely
necessary.
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General Principles