‘Bereavement balls’ could give new life to the diving industry

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‘Bereavement balls’ could give new life to the diving industry

http://www.dresseldivers.com/en/news.htm

An artificial reef made of concrete “bereavement balls” containing the cremated remains of the dead could bring new life to the Channel and help to revive an industry in decline.
The 200m reef is planned for the Dorset coast, where the diving industry has slumped in the past few years. The intention is to build a structure that would provide a permanent memorial to the dead as well as a breeding ground for marine life that would attract divers back to the area.
The project has won the backing of the Environment Agency, which has pledged £10,000 towards the cost of a survey of 1 sq km of seabed off Ringstead Bay, between Weymouth and Lulworth Cove.
The Crown Estate, which owns the seabed, has also given approval in principle, provided that a public body can be persuaded to take statutory responsibility for the project.
A non-profit company has been set up by local businesses. The project co-ordinator, Neville Copperthwaite, said that the Dorset dive industry had been hit by a “double whammy”. Divers have been lured away by competition from the Scylla, a former warship scuttled near Plymouth, and put off by the closure, on safety grounds, of a Second World War wreck that was one of the area’s most popular dive sites.
Mr Copperthwaite said: “In 2003 there were 24 dive charter boats operating in the area. Today there are just six. There used to be five or six dive shops. Now there is one.
“Divers have been attracted to the Scylla like iron filings to a magnet. The closure of the wreck of HMS Hood on safety grounds has not helped either.” He added: “Hardly anyone one noticed what was going on because all the attention and funding has been focused on the 2012 Olympic sailing events, which will be taking place nearby.”
The scheme will initially be aimed at the families of dead fishermen, divers and other seafarers. It would give them an appropriate send-off and a permanent underwater grave. The basketball-sized “bereavement balls”, which are more of a dome shape, would be hollow and have a plaque with the name of the person whose remains they contain.
They would provide a home for lobsters, fish and other marine creatures, allowing new life to grow. Initial work on the reef is being funded by local businesses who have set up a company, Wreck to Reef, but ultimately it will be paid for by the families of the bereaved. Wreck to Reef has yet to reveal the likely cost of being buried at sea.
Mr Copperthwaite said: “A lot of people have their ashes scattered at sea but using this method they would always be in the same place so relatives can have somewhere to visit and pay their respects.
“We have been talking to staff at the Weymouth crematorium about how to market the project sensitively. We want to make sure that whatever we do it will be done with dignity. We have approached various undertakers and have received quite an enthusiastic response. Dorset is a seafaring county and scattering ashes at sea is very popular.
“The reef balls are made out of concrete, which will either be mixed with the ashes or a container holding the remains will be stored inside the ball. The ball will be lowered into the water and a diver will then place it on the bottom in order to build up the reef. The water there is 20 m deep and it will take thousands of reef balls to build it up.”
Members of Dorset County Council are being asked to decide next month whether the local authority will be the reef’s statutory leaseholder. So far 22 business that will benefit from the reef, such as diving schools, hotels and restaurants, have signed up to the project and provided £25,000 for initial survey work.
Southern Sea Fisheries has promised 6,000 baby lobsters in the hope that the reef will prove a vital restocking ground and support the commercial fishing industry.
Derek Sargent, a member of the Weymouth Lifeboat crew, said: “It would be a nice resting place for the deceased and the families could remember where they put their loved ones.”
The reef, which will be a mile out to sea, will be the first of its kind in Britain, although similar structures have been popular off the East Coast of America for the past 30 years.