The Adopt a Wreck scheme was originally devised in 2000 with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The scheme serves as a way of encouraging the public to actively record the sites they are visiting and everyone who has adopted a site is encouraged to submit their work for the annual Adopt a Wreck Award.
As the title suggests, it is most common for dive clubs to adopt a shipwreck however other types of sites can be adopted such as planes, tanks and maritime infrastructure. On land there is a range of harbour works and buildings with nautical connections, coastal habitations, hulks and other material of archaeological interest that can be adopted too.
If you, your group or club have a site that you visit regularly and would like to take your work on that site further and contribute to our knowledge of maritime site by adopting it.
Over 120 sites have been adopted under the Adopt a Wreck scheme so far, both in the UK and overseas. It's most common for dive clubs to adopt a shipwreck however other types of sites can be adopted such as planes, tanks and maritime infrastructure. On land there is a range of harbour works and buildings with nautical connections, coastal habitations, hulks and other material of archaeological interest that have been adopted. Explore the list of adopted sites here... Read more
Every year the NAS awards the Adopt a Wreck Award to the person or group who has made the most significant contribution to archaeology and researched through the Adopt a Wreck scheme. Applications normally close in October with the award being given at the NAS Annual Conference in November. Discover more here.... Read more
Gathering Information via Recreational and Technical (GIRT) Scientific Divers is a conservation focused no-impact citizen-science project. It aims to train members to systematically document observable physical and natural features of historic shipwrecks, submerged aircraft and other underwater cultural heritage in an open sea water environment, to facilitate their ongoing protection and management. Discover more here.... Read more