Techinical Diving for coelacanths in South Africa

a report by the Discovery dive team. 29 April 2002

As most technical divers are aware by now, a group of technical divers discovered coelacanths of the coast of SA, Sodwana Bay at a depth of 100m to 115m, in a canyon cutting into the continental shelf. All the canyons which may be coelacanth habitat fall within the Marine Protected Area of St Lucia, and is protected by special legislation. Recently, the area has also been declared an World Heritage Site. Coelacanths are also listed in Schedule I of CITES, putting them on par with the panda.

In October 2000, on a single dive three coelacanths were seen. In November 2000 on the second dive three were filmed. In May 2001 during 8 dives deeper than 100m three individuals were encountered and filmed. In total, the divers encountered 9 coelacanths of which one from October 2000 was one of the three encountered in May 2001. This strike rate of encounters is remarkable considering the currents, depths, small area of suitable habitat and lack of detailed maps of the sea floor. Four documentary films, one international and three national covered aspects of the discovery.

After the proof obtained by the divers in October 2000, the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Vali Moosa, during a press conference with the Dive team, announced that special protection measures will be taken to ensure protection of the discovered coelacanths. Kwazulu Natal Wildlife together with Marine & Coastal Management, in consultation with the Dive team and Coelacanth experts drafted a management plan to ensure protection of the discovered coelacanths.

The main points of the management plan effecting divers are:

  1. The plan is law
  2. The plan is a first draft, and will be adapted as further information becomes available to scientists
  3. Any diving and expeditions need to apply for a permit, which is an extensive process
  4. No diving, including submersible diving will be allowed unless it can provide priority data needed to finalise the plan. The main initial data required is an extensive survey up to at least 400m to enable accurate estimation of the distribution and population size. This can only be done by submersibles or ROV’s.
  5. The discovery divers enjoy certain rights and privileges in recognition of their efforts in making the discovery.

Recently a workshop was held by the National Research Foundation together with the JLB Smith Institute, Kwazulu Natal Wildlife, Marine and Coastal Management of DEAT and many international and regional delegates to plan an expedition early next year to obtain the data necessary for a population size and distribution estimation. If the necessary funds are obtained, high definition bathymetric maps will be obtained, oceanographic studies will be conducted and video surveys of some of the 13 canyons. This should be completed by July 2002. Updates may be found at South African Coelacanth Conservation and Genome Resource Programme website.

Once the population size and distribution has been determined, the management plan will be adapted, depending on the findings. Importantly, depending on the findings, for technical divers, an area should be allocated for recreational technical diving. Diving for coelacanths will be an important technical diver tourist attraction for South Africa.

During the workshop, the discovery team presented the advantages and disadvantages of using recreational divers to obtain further scientific data. The advantages, in short, is that divers impact minimally on any fish, all diving can produce valuable data, low costs and be a tourist attraction. The disadvantages are the safety risks, limited bottom time and depth, and the fact that recreational divers may not be employed to dive.

Most, if not all, of the workshop delegates supported the idea that diving must be allowed, and that divers can obtain valuable data, albeit recreationally and after the 2002 submersible expedition when a recreational diving area is allocated. Permits will still be required for any diving in general. Permit applications will be a complicated government controlled process and since proof is needed that all safety requirements has been complied with may lead to further complications. KZN Wildlife and Marine & Coastal Management lack the necessary manpower to process a multitude of permit applications. We estimate that a permit application may take between one to four months. Diving will be regulated very strictly due to safety considerations.

Although the Discovery dive team enjoy certain rights and privileges and has experience with the permit applications and the area, the Discovery dive team proposed at the workshop that a single internationally accessible non-profit body be established to regulate and support technical divers from all over the world in an allocated area.

The aim of the body will be to:

  1. streamline the permit application process by means of maintaining access, screening diving qualifications and medical fitness
  2. provide medical support such as oxygen, a chamber etc
  3. provide dive charters familiar with the area
  4. provide equipment support such as the heavy cylinders, scooters, environmental data collection devices, video equipment etc.
  5. provide gas
  6. provide high definition bathymetric maps and information of the allocated area
  7. maintain a centralised database of all the data and video material obtained by the divers for scientific use and cataloguing and naming individuals
  8. maintain a database of all other scientific data and photo catalogue of individuals obtained by scientists
  9. to provide access to these databases
  10. to provide guides where necessary
  11. to organise and/ or support expeditions with specific objectives
  12. to raise funds and sponsorship for the above support and administration of the body
  13. to promote tourism

Since divers can over a period of time, with accumulated bottom times, provide a constant stream of scientific useful data, which cannot be obtained by expensive submersibles and ROV’s due to its intrusiveness and sporadic use, the scientific community pledged their support for such a body, which can maintain such a database. Scientists know “nothing” about the behaviour, reproduction, short and long term migrations, correlation of movements with currents and temperature, hunting techniques etc. of coelacanths, except that they hide in caves during the day. For example, the sighting of juvenile coelacanths will be a major find. Also, video footage taken by divers will show the rest of the fauna, being part of the whole ecosystem, in a more natural state than that taken by a sub or ROV. Divers filming a new individual will also be able to name that individual, which will form part of a photo catalogue maintained by the body and scientists.

Divers will be expected to comply with the regulations of the management plan, note all relevant data and film each dive in its entirety, and make this available to a central database for scientific use and possible documentaries and publications.

Although association with such a body will be open to all interested persons, technical divers from all over the world should be able to dive in this awesome location and enjoy the privilege to see these beasts of up to two meters in their natural habitat, and contribute to their conservation and to the understanding of their behaviour, biology and ecology. To be able to do these dives safely at minimum cost and logistical effort will increase diver activity and contribute a great deal of knowledge.

Exposure to sponsors may include documentaries, scientific and diving publications, a website, endorsements etc.

The setting up and administration of such a body will require funding and we would like to know whether such a body will have sufficient support from the international technical diving community to warrant the effort and whether it will be viable.

Please feel free to link this site to your website and let us have your ideas by e-mail.