Project Name: Annaba's Artificial reef II

Country: Algeria

Project Manager: Dr. Emir Berkane

Contact: info (at) carnetsdexploration (dot) com

Webiste:www.carnetsdexploration.com

Description: The artificial reefs of the Cape of Guard of Annaba are the first artificial reefs authorized by the Algerian government.
They were immersed on 06 May 2016 by the NGO Hippone Sub, member of the Algerian network for the protection of biodiversity PROBIOM.

The objective of these reefs is to popularize these devices and to inform on the importance of multiplying this type of initiative on Algerian coastlines, struck by a demographic development on the coastal cities that put pressure on the coast and thus on the biodiversity (Plastic wastes, industrial pollution, river pollution). The follow-up during one year gave rise to the first Algerian documentary film 'The Houses of the Sea' by director Hamza Mendil. At the end of this first year a second module was installed. This second model will be followed by the baseline project HOFFMAN II. Our partners for all these projects are the Ministries of Environment and Fisheries, and the Department of Underwater Biology of the University of Annaba. Our team is currently working on immersing train wagons (railcars), reformed and decontaminated in 2018. Just like what was done with the New York subway trains. Cap De Garde is the Cape situated on the north of Annaba city, Main city eastern Algeria Artificial Reefs Program, initiated by Hippone Sub diving center was lunched on May 2016.

Project Name: Puerto Madryn, Patagonia Argentina

Country: Argentina

Project Manager: Gonzalo Bravo

Contact: gonzalobravoargentina (at) gmail (dot) com

Description: During this project we plan to monitor and document rocky reefs, artificial reefs and archeological wrecks located close to Puerto Madryn, in Patagonia Argentina. This city has been among the top diving destinations in Patagonia since the late 50s, attracting several thousands of divers per year from all over the world. We want to investigate benthic communities and changes on the structures of archeological wrecks, in popular diving places where divers can take photos while diving. By working together, recreational divers and researchers, we’re able to learn more about rocky, artificial reefs and archeological sites.

Project Name: Bare Island Baseline

Project Manager: Dylan Hollis

Contact: divedylan (at) outlook (dot) com

Social Media: currently unavailable

Website: currently unavailable

Project Description: This project area is Sydney's most heavily dived site. It sees heavy fishing and tourism. It is located next to Australia's busiest airport (Mascot) and Australia's second busiest seaport (Port of Botany). It is located around Bare Island within Botany Bay and could provide insight into the local waterways.

Project Name: The Peak

Project Manager: Liam Allen and Philip Bos

Contact: liam (at) gue (dot) com / phil (at) philbos (dot) com

Social Media: currently unavailable

Website: currently unavailable

Project Description: To map and document 6 GPS locations around The Peak, a seamount located 16 nm off Sydney, ranging in depth from 65m to 100m.

Project Area Name: Nullarbor Karst Plain Project

Project Manager Name: Ryan Booker

Contact: ryan (at) nkpp (dot) com (dot) au

Area Website: nkpp.com.au

Area Social Media: Facebook.com

Area Description: The Nullarbor Karst Plain Project (NKPP) is committed to exploring, documenting and sharing the unique diversity of the oceans and aquatic caves of Australasia.  NKPP promotes awareness and conservation of the aquatic environment through scientific research and education.  We conduct projects, promoting team values, safety and skill.

Collaborators: Cave Divers Association of Australia (CDAA) The association was formed in September 1973 and is dedicated to fostering the development, advancement, promotion, mapping, education, exploration, conservation, safety and research of underwater caves and related features. The CDAA manages access to many of Australia's cave systems and owns Tank Cave, a focal point for our Project Baseline efforts.

Project Area Name: Bahrain’s Underwater Theme Park

Project Manager Name: Ahmad AlHusaini

Contact: Ahmad.AlHusaini (at) hotmail (dot) com

Area Social Media: Instagram: diver.gue

Area Description: Bahrain has started to build the largest underwater theme park in the World and they started by submerging a Boeing 747 as the main attraction. Currently it is just the plane with no corals and marine life around it. I am hoping to document the growth of corals in and around the airplane as well as the growth of life. I am also hoping to document visibility and water temperature as well as outside weather and temperature to try and see if this affects the underwater environment. The Boeing 747 is just the beginning, as the theme park expands I plan to expand the places I do the research. Because the theme park will include a replica of a Bahraini merchants house as well as artificial reefs and sculptures.

Project Area Name: Halkett Bay

Project Manager Name: John Campbell

Contact: mustang_51 (at) shaw (dot) ca

Area Website: www.gue-bc.com

Area Social Media: Not available at this time.

Area Description: For the last 6 years the Ex-HMCS Annapolis has been slowly prepared to be the next artificial reef in British Columbia. This project has been riddled with political roadblocks and hurdles that the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia and other parties has worked its way through. The Federal and provincial governments have approved the sinking of the Annapolis in Halkett Bay marine park on Gambier island. This sink site has been plagued with constant and unrelenting opposition from the residents of the bay stating that an artificial reef will cause damage to the ecosystem instead of rebuilding the already damaged bay.

Halkett bay was identified as being a perfect candidate for an artificial reef because of the extensive damage done to the marine ecosystem by the logging industry. During storms logs would be stored inside the bay while they waited for calmer waters. Because of this, the floor of the bay is a barren wasteland from the floating logs blocking out sunlight as well as bark blanketing the seabed. As part of this project baseline we intend to provide documented evidence demonstrating that artificial reefs are positive or negative additions to the oceans.

The intuition of the baseline is to monitor 3 Stations. The first Station would be located on the main hangar deck going from the stern of the hanger deck into the helicopter hanger. The second and third stations would be on the seabed floor on the port and starboard sides monitoring for marine life changes as well as sediment sampling to identify if PCB's are being introduced into the sediment from the ship.

Project Area Name: Lake Ontario Eureka Monitoring Project

Project Manager Name: Michael Pinault

Contact: mike (at) undirworld (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Not available at this time.

Area Description: Expect to perform the first document dive in Oct 2018. Initial dive will consist predominantly of measurements, picture and video. This data point will be increased in following years and compared again condition report form following year 0-10 years.

Project Area Name: Saanich Inlet

Project Manager Name: Christopher Locker

Contact: ccrl1970 (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: https://gue.bc.com/

Area Social Media: Facebook. Instagram.

Area Description: The volunteers of Saanich Inlet are interested in the long-term documentation of this aquatic area since it is frequented on a regular basis for training, exploration and recreational purposes by local divers. Our main project efforts are to document and monitor the glass sponges of the Saanich Inlet. We currently monitor 3 sponges at the McKenzie Bight site and a shipwreck and reef ball at the Henderson Point site. Photogrammetry has been employed on all stations.

Collaborations: Our activities have now expanded into community outreach projects. We collaborate with the local governing body Capital Regional District for a lake clean up (Durance Lake) and we actively remove commercial abandoned crab traps from the Saanich Inlet in the same respect.

Project Name: Add + Reef

Country: Croatia

Project Manager: Lilian Cseho Kratochwillne

Contact: addreef (at) divestationdc (dot) com / lilian (at) acropora (dot) hu

Project Description: The project will be monitoring the aquatic life of these three sites (Rusa, Red Cave) in the northern part of Pag Island, Croatia. The second part of our baseline would be an artificial reef project, which is in progress. This gave their name Add+ Reef - The Adriatic Artificial Reef Project, where they would like to install new habitats for those sites which were overfished, for example, the Stara Novalja Bay.These would suitable for recreational and technical divers.

Project Area Name: Aland

Project Manager Name: Magnus Melin

Contact: magnus.melin (at) aquabild (dot) net

Area Description: Our Project is focused on long-term documentation of the environment in the Baltic Sea. We will make measurements of the visibility, temperature and document the area using still photography and video. The "baseline" area is close to a popular wreck. In addition we will follow the impact of the ferries that pass the wreck close by. The station area is located near Yttre Körsö. Near Mariehamn on the Åland Island. The Latitude and Longitude are 60.041661, 19.896577. We will create transects that we will document from the surface down to about 15 m. The Baltic Sea suffers from a number of environmental threats. There is a lot of activities and research going on in the Baltic Sea. All activities that promotes the public awareness about the Baltic sea can lead to environmentally positive impacts. The Aland Project Baseline site is located relatively close to Mariehamn and near the waterway. Mariehamn is the only larger town in the Aland archipelago. With its location between the capitals in Sweden and Finland the waterways through the Aland archipelago are heavily trafficked with large ferries. On the North West side of Yttre Korso the flat rocks slopes from the surface down to about 10m were the slope gets steeper. On 5 to 7 meters the rocks have pockets of sand were the common Eel grass grows. At about 15 meters the rock meets a sand/mud bottom that gently slopes down to 35-40 m.

Project Area Name: Reseau de L'Ouysse

Project Manager Name: Torsten Schnitter

Contact: reseau.louysse (at) projectbaseline (dot) org

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Facebook Page

Area Description: The river L'Ouysse, located in the French department Lot, is a side branch of the river Dordogne. For 3/4 of its length, the L'Ouysse runs underground and its path is mostly unknown.

The actual spring of the river is located around the village Espeyroux in the north-east of the Lot. After heading south-west at the surface for around 10km the river disappears  underground near the village Themines. Over the next 5km its path is unknown before it reemerges through 8km of explored passageways in the cave system Vitarelles. The final path of the river from the east end of the Vitarelles to the actual end of exploration from its final resurgence in a cave called Gouffre de Cabouy is currently still unknown.

Starting from the resource Gouffre de Cabouy the river passes a sinkhole called Gouffre de Pou Meyssen after around 800m and after a total distance of 2km the end of sump 1 is reached. After sump 1 an air filled passage with a distance of 400m is followed by a short second sump of just 80m length followed by 700m of long dry stream-way passage which also marks the actual end of surveying. Sump 3 has been explored for around 500m to a depth of -120m and is currently the actual end of exploration.

The L'Ouysse is used as water supply for the city Rocamadour and therefore it is of public interest to closely monitor this source of water and document  its quality. To protect this water it is important to gain better knowledge about the underground path of the river, which is one of the main goals of this project.

Project Name: Bergisches Land

Country: Germany

Project Manager: Claudia Haltern

Contact: Not Available at this Time

Area Website: Not Available at this Time

Area Social Media: Facebook Page

Project Description: The region Bergisches Land is located in southern part of North-Rhine-Westfalia in Germany. Geologically it belongs to the Rhenish Slate Mountains. Its western border is the river Rhine and on the east side it merges into the so called Sauerland, one of the Central German Uplands. The major part of the area is characterized by a low mountain landscape rich in variety with forests, meadows, hills and V-shaped river valleys. Many of the rivers are dammed up to artificial lakes, which serve either as reservoirs for drinking water or industrial water, or as recreational areas. There are more than 20 artificial lakes in this small region, which is unique in the world. Some of the recreational lakes serve as popular dive sites, but conditions vary widely throughout the year. As the lakes are fed and drained by rivers, which carry or swirl up sediments, conditions seem to depend on weather conditions, flow rates and the water level among other factors. All these may as well influence the overall water quality and biodiversity. In order to monitor these factors our volunteer team will regularly collect corresponding data. As a first step we will focus on water temperature, visibility, water level and easily accessible chemical data as pH-value and nitrate. Furthermore, according to our suggestion that weather conditions may have an influence on current water status, we will list meteorological data as the average air temperature, total precipitation and sunshine hours on a monthly base. We plan to measure more demanding parameters as saprobic index and algae growth in the future as resources hopefully grow. Basically the Project is not limited to a defined number of sites, but as resources are limited we will start with one site, which is the so called Wuppertalsperre.

Project Name: Diez

Country: Germany

Project Manager: Peter Gaertner

Contact: pgaertner74 (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: www.aquanaut.de http://tauchbasis-diez.de

Area Social Media:

Project Description: Diez is an abandoned quarry, lying in a valley close to the river Lahn. After the pumps have been switched off, groundwater filled the lake. The ground is at two levels: In the front part around 8m, in the back part around 15m. “Baggersee Diez“ is used as a recreational area, where in summer hundreds of people come to swim and enjoy the sun. It is well known for its good visibility and lots of divers meet during the weekends to enjoy diving.

We installed 3 secchi disks to measure the visibility in different parts of the lake: From shallow to deep and from places that are regularly dived to places hardly dived. We can see, which influence diving has on the visibility (and with this on the plants covered by silt) and how the visibility changes in winter at different depths - in cold water algae disappear. Baggersee Diez is an abandoned querry which is fed by groundwater. It is used for diving and swimming as well.

Project Name: Eckernförde

Country: Germany

Project Manager: Manuel Schertler

Contact: pb-eckernfoerde (at) gmx (dot) de

Area Website: www.pb-eckernfoerde.de

Area Social Media: Facebook

Project Description: Our main goal is a long-term documentation of the underwater environment, which includes vegetation and zoological life. The temperature, depth and visibility are documented as well as the results of chemical analysis at regular intervals. The area is located in a highly frequented water sports area. Due to this strong use it is interesting to document the possible changes in the environment.

Project Name: Murner See

Country: Germany

Project Manager: Jeremy DeRoy

Contact: JDeRoy (at) gmx (dot) net

Area Website/Social Media: Facebook

Project Description: The goal of our dive team is a long and short term documentation of the underwater environment. Our plan is to measure temperature, visibility and the pH Value. We are also planning to document the effects of diving and water sports according to the lake and its evolvement. Currently the main goal is to counteract an invasive species called the marbled craw-fish. This species can cause massive damage to this young Eco system. We are documenting its behavior in the lake and lots of other data related to this species.

Project Name: Rhein - Maas

Country: Germany

Project Manager(s): Benjamin Ott

Contact: info (at) benjaminott (dot) de

Social Media: Facebook Page

Project Description:

This Project contains three Sites in the area between the rivers Rhein and Maas. Two Sites called Blausteinsee and Echtzer See are located in the Rhenish lignite district and are renaturized lignite mines. The third Site called Bosmolenplas is located near Maas River in the Dutch municipality Maasgouw and has originated from gravel and sand quarrying. For years, all three Sites have been used for countless training dives conducted by diving schools in the area. Moreover, active lignite mines nearby may have an impact on the water quality and biodiversity. Our volunteer team's participation in Project Baseline was mainly driven by a wish to support our personal observations of decreasing water quality and biodiversity with sound data. Our team will first focus on the measurement of water temperature and visibility since these parameters can be obtained with ease. In the future we plan to monitor more sophisticated parameters like carbon dioxide saturation, algae growth, saprobic index etc. The Project is principally not limited to the three mentioned Sites. We plan to include more sites as resources allow.

Project Name: Rheinauer See

Country: Germany

Project Manager(s): Fabian Schwarz-Fritz,  Sina A. Weber

Contact: fabian (at) schwarz-fritz (dot) de / sina (dot) weber (at) me (dot) com

Social Media: Facebook Page

Website: Project Baseline Rheinauer See

Project Description: Rheinauer See is a lake between the two cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in the southwest of Germany. It is shared by water skiers, swimmers, fishermen and divers. Most of the area is surrounded by trees, reed and other vegetation. The area is accessible for pedestrians, visitors, divers and swimmers.

The lake faced many issues before 1999 until the number of divers was regulated. This was a bad development for the lake and now diving is restricted to the summer months (April till 15th December) and 10 divers per hour during daytime only. Since then the water quality got better. We are interested in the current state of the lake and want to monitor whether and how it will change in the future.

Underwater the lake has a few plants and the growth is dependent on the season of the year. Weather and temperatures are influencing visibility. By measuring data underwater in a reproducible way, we want to get a better overview of how the lake changes between the seasons and over years. We hope to see patterns by documenting and analyzing the dive site. The lake has a good stock of fish and a maximum depth of 25 meters.

The lake is very close to the home of many of us. It is close to two larger cities and therefore we are diving there on a regular basis. Many other lakes are in the area, most of them being former gravel mining places like the Rheinauer See. But none of them is so close and convenient to go to. This is our diving backyard.

Project Name: Sauerland

Country: Germany

Project Manager: Sven Frerich

Contact: sven (dot) frerich (at) t-online (dot) de

Social Media: https://m.facebook.com/Sauerlandtaucher/

Project Description: The Sauerland Project is about finding out what factors the visibility conditions are dependent on. The Möhnesee is a reservoir with different water levels, depending on rainfall and the quantity of water which is delivered to the river. They are trying to document the measured values ​​over a longer period of time and find out why the visibility is so different from week to week.

Project Name: TenderVis

Country: Germany

Project Manager: Thorsten Kientoff

Contact: fullyscaled (at) gmx (dot) net

Project Area description: The intention is a long-term monitoring of different sites at the inoperative gravel lake "Tenderingssee". This lake is formed by digging gravel in the district of Wesel on the northwestern edge of the so called Ruhrgebiet. The lake has an area of 45 ha and a maximum depth of 15m. Since 1996, the lake has been considered as an European Community (EC) bathing water. The lake is a well known dive location within the mentioned area. Furthermore, fishing and windsurfing are common leisure activities. Up to now the years averaging visibility is very good. The local gravel plant owner intent to restart the rinsing of gravel from other places close to the lake. The operator of the gravel plant promise to the authorities, that only a light impact to the visibility will happen. The intention is to dumping the rinse water underneath the lake-ground to prevent strong influence to the quality of water. The measured values will be the visibility as well as the in water temperature. The temperature will be measured by a mini temperature logger "tempmate-B2”.

Project Area Name: Saronic Gulf

Project Manager Name: Nikos Vardakas

Contact: nikos (at) gue (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Saronic Gulf Facebook Group

Area Description: The Saronic Gulf coasts of the Aegean Sea are some of the most popular and well known seascapes in all of Greece. They surround an important and heavily populated county; the prefecture of Attica. This includes the capital city of Athens, and therefore thousands of people use this coastal area as a base for their summer and winter water based activities. Our goal within this Project is to map out the current state of underwater conditions and environmental degradation that has occurred from the continuous and intense presence of visitors and boat traffic.

We have chosen Vouliagmeni Cove as the first Greek Project Baseline Station for the gathering and recording of data. Vouliagmeni is one of the main individual coves in the Saronic Gulf.  It is a very popular choice for both swimmers and divers alike, as it serves as a perfect base for a wide range of scuba activities due to easy and quick access. It is also the nearest weather protected cove in the southern suburbs of Athens. Our goal is to record and document the existing conditions at the site. Large numbers of divers visit this bay throughout their diving careers, so it is important for us to highlight this area of outstanding natural beauty. By doing this, we aim to raise awareness that our seas need protecting for future generations and that action needs to be taken now.

The Legrena site is located south of Athens, and is accessed from the winding sea road to the temple of Poseidon at Sounion. Three fish farms operate in these waters, one close offshore and two others off the nearby island of Patroklos. Station SGL2 was established outside the perimeter of the fish farm closest to the mainland, in 15 meters of water. This farm consists of about 20 cages, and has operated in this location for several years. Each cage may contain between 60,000 and 100,000 farmed fish, which include sea bream and sea bass. Wild fish life outside the cages in this area is relatively abundant, perhaps as a result of outwash from the nearby fishpens. Derelict gear litters the bottom in many places. This site is also well-used by recreational divers, who are sometimes given permission to dive beneath the cages, where wild tuna have often been spotted. The aim of this station is to observe any visible impacts from the fish farms on this popular weekend recreational dive site.

Project Name: Diomed Project

Project Manager: Fabio Bisciotti, Marco Volpi

Country: Italy

Website: https://www.aquodivingtremiti.com/

Contact: bisciottif (at) yahoo (dot) it / aquodiving( at) yahoo (dot) it

Project Description: Our project will be focused on particular types of gorgonies and fishes living in our area. We have multiple threats facing the area including boat traffic. We want to document this area due to a particular consistency of these gorgonies and wonderful colours that must be preserved.

Isole Tremiti

Latitude: 42.133; Longitude:15.5166; Stations: 2; Dives: 9; Last dove:September 10 2018

The site is one of the most famous places in the south of Italy on the Adriatic side, full of tourists and included in the Gargano National Park. A particular area at the center of the Adriatic sea that welcomes tourists from every part of the world. This area must be protected at all costs. Our idea is to involve universities and research programs for studies and collecting as much as possible info about their capabilities and evolution.

Project Area Name: Garda Lake

Project Manager Name: Marco Giusepe Gritti

Contact: dirbergamo (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: http://www.dirbergamo.com/

Area Social Media: FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dirbergamo/

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5DNtSqKBx3ePkmDhviN0xA

Area Description: Project Baseline: Garda Lake volunteers are placing four observation stations at strategic locations throughout Garda Lake (also called Benaco by ancient Romans). Garda Lake is the largest and most famous lake in Italy. It covers an area of 370 square km with a maximum depth of 346 meters. The lake borders three regions, Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto. Given the lake’s prominent place as one of Italy’s most famous natural features, the team is eager to participate in regular documentation of this lake to support aquatic awareness and conservation. The four stations will be monitored every four months for water temperature, visibility, depth and air temperature (at the start of each dive). Members of the team’s local, GUE dive group called DIRBERGAMO, are located near Stations and frequently go diving in those spots.

Project Area Name: Gulf of Cagliari

Project Manager Name: Caludia Haltern

Contact: claudia.haltern (at) web (dot) de

Area Description: There are different wrecks in the area, which will be documented. Additionally, the varying distribution of sea fans, the number and distribution of invasive species and their impact on the local fauna and flora, and the presence of microplastic will be explored.

Project Area Name: Lake Iseo

Project Manager Name: Renato Mauro Preda

Contact: tato (at) ncdivers (dot) it

Area Website: ncdivers.it

Area Social Media:https://www.facebook.com/ProjectBaselineLakeIseo

Area Description: One of the most important lakes of northern Italy is characterized by the presence of a large island which effectively divides the lake into two distinct systems. Our volunteer team dives Lake Iseo frequently and therefore, our primary interest lies in documenting that overall ecological health by regularly monitoring underwater Stations installed at different locations throughout the lake. At first glance, the lake environment seems more dull and unresponsive to change, but a closer inspection reveals the lake is subjected to strong pressure from human impacts. Our endeavor is and will be to testify in the most objective way possible transformations taking place in the lake over a long period of time. In conjunction with this long-term documentation effort, our team of divers collaborates with local organizations at events that raise awareness for the protection of inland waters.

Project Area Name: Lake Lugano

Project Manager Name: Stefano Beatrizotti

Contact: stefano (dot) beatrizotti (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: projectbaselinesouthswitzerland.blogspot.ch/

Area Social Media: facebook.com/projectbaselinesouthswitzerland

Area Description: Lake Lugano is a large peri alpine lake of considerable aesthetic, cultural and recreational value to residents and tourists. Once a clear-water lake, Lake Lugano was impacted by pollution from the 1960s, and became severely eutrophic by the end of the 1970s. The deep waters of the lake became de-oxygenated, either permanently (North Basin) or seasonally (South Basin), while the surface waters saw the appearance of algal blooms and an alteration of the diversity of the biological assemblages, including plankton and fish. From the end of the 1970s, in an effort to restore the chemical and biological quality of the lake, the external load of phosphorus has been reduced through the construction or the improvement of several sewage-treatment plants across the watershed. Since then, the conditions of the lake have improved. At present, nonetheless, the lake remains eutrophic. What's more, other environmental threats, including the spread of exotic species and climate change, are increasing. For example, since the early 1970s, the surface waters of the lake have been warming by approximately 0.1-0.8 °C per decade, depending on the season, and these are among the higher warming rates documented in Central Europe. In this project, divers will join forces with local academic and environmental management agencies in an attempt to document the major changes that are occurring to the lake.

Project Area Name: Lake Maggiore

Project Manager Name: Romano Rampazzo

Contact: 7gradi (at) settegradidivers (dot) eu

Area Website: www.settegradidivers.eu

Area Social Media: Lake Maggiore YouTube Playlist

Area Description: Lake Maggiore, together with Garda and Como lakes, is one of the three biggest lakes in northern Italy. The average altitude is 193.5m above the sea at this level the area is 220 square km; 80% in Italy and the remaining 20% in Switzerland.  The perimeter is 170 km, and the maximal length 57km. The average water volume is 37,5 billions of m3. The estimated time of a complete renewal of the water is 4 years. The maximum depth is 370m, 176m of them are under the sea level. The lead of this baseline is Settegradi Divers Association (www.settegradidivers.eu)

Collaboration: ARPA - Varese

Ultimately, our team's connection with "macrophytes" sampling will be in collaboration with ARPA (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection) - Varese. This is our local district delegation of the regional agency (Lombardia region) a public agency whose mission activities and services are addressed to support all choices of environmental policy of Lombardy Region, its districts, its counties, and all other public agencies of the territory.

Project Area Name: Portofino

Project Manager Name: Davide Botazzi

Contact: davide (dot) botazzi (at) yahoo (dot) it

Area Description: Portofino is a fisherman village famous around the world not only for good food, wine and la dolce vita but also for its Marine Park. Created in 1999, the Marine Reserve of Portofino is managed by a Consortium of authorities including the University and Province of Genoa and the Municipalities of Portofino, Camogli and Santa Margherita Ligure. Encompassing the coastal waters surrounding the peninsula of Mount Portofino, the Reserve offers a unique environment for the study of the sea floor and its steep vertical walls and cliffs. The astonishing abundance and variety of marine life makes it a major attraction for diving enthusiasts. The marine park has more than 20 dive spots and every year thousands of divers come to visit. The Marine park is divided in 3 areas: A-B-C. The "A zone" is completely closed to any human activity, the "B zone" is where we usually dive and where many universities are conducting studies, finally, the "C zone" is the peripheral area of the natural park, less known by divers. The latter is where we want to place one of our stations while the second station will be placed out of the natural reserve boundaries. This will allow us to monitor the differences between protected and unprotected waters within the same environment.

Project Area Name: Tyrrhenian Sea

Project Manager Name: Claudio Provenzani

Contact: maccagni1 (at) iol (dot) it

Social Media: Facebook Page

Area Description: This area is a collaborative effort between Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) and diveRevolution Association to document, monitor and help in the protection of the Tyrrenhian Sea. Project Baseline Tyrrhenian Sea is the collection of biological, archeological, historical and environmental data of local marine sites, gathered through underwater survey, sampling and photographic/video tools. The project is a useful monitoring activity for the marine habitats and related sites. The investigation area extends from the southern part of the Ligurian Sea to the north of Sicily, including some of the most important islands in front of the coast, such as Capri, Ischia, Ustica, and others. The project started with a sample site (Mast of Capri), where a large amount of material was collected, and that has been very useful to evaluate and establish procedures for the future collection of standardized and widespread data. A data collection card, including the main information about the dive site like the physical (temperature, visibility, currents, sea bottom characteristic, etc.) and biological (identification of the marine species, with specific attention to the identification of ecological importance or interest anthropogenic specimens) is available.

Project Area Name: Atami

Project Manager Name: Matt Broughton

Contact: matt (at) broughton (dot) io

Area Website: projectbaseline.jp

Area Social Media: facebook.com/groups/pbjapan

Area Description: Description of your Project efforts: Project Baseline Atami aims to monitor and document the Asahi Maru wreck. We plan on using temperature sensors to track temperature changes along with detailed photography of specific areas of the wreck. As the project develops, we’d like to expand our efforts to include the reefs also in the Atami area.

Collaborators: Yokohama International School - we work with high school students from YIS by helping them understand the importance in aquatic conservation and how they can use diving to collect data and promote change.

Project Area Name: Malta

Project Manager Name: John Kendall

Contact:john (at) johnkendall (dot) co (dot) uk

Area Social Media: Facebook Group

Area Description: This Project is under development. Please check back soon.

Project name: Akumal

Project manager: Ivo Chiarino

Contact: projectbaselineakumal (at) gmail (dot) com

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/projectbaselineakumal/

Project area description: Akumal is a well-known beach in the Riviera Maya for its beauty, calm water and turtles. The environment has been changing within the last few years, coral reef is dying, pollution coming from the surroundings, turtles getting sick with a type of cancer. The volunteers of Project Baseline: Akumal know that it is important to document what's happening and share our observations with the public.

Las Redes: Latitude:20.3879923182; Longitude:-87.3100525455; Stations:11; Dives:22; Last dove:September 08 2018

Las Redes reef is probably the most famous section of the Akumal Bay Reef. It's depth range varies between 9m/30ft to 18m/60 ft and it hosts many different tropical species found in the Caribbean Sea particularly the Green Turtle which for some reason they all congregate in the same area. Due to the turtle's presence it has and is being visited in a daily routine by divers from all around the globe but unfortunately that affects the reef negatively.

Project Name: Baseline Twente

Project Manager:Sebastiaan Baars

Contact: info (at) baselinetwente (dot) nl

Website: http://www.baselinetwente.nl/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/baselinetwente/

Project Area Description: This project baseline initiative started by a group of active GUE divers in the neighbourhood of Twente. The goal aligns with what GUE and Project Baseline stands to create awareness to the community. The first goals are to measure and log visibility and temperature data of Grasbroek, one of many lakes in the area. At a later stage, the work will be extended with other initiatives as for example Netlake. As most inland lakes in the Netherlands, Grasbroek started as a sand excavation site. The excavated sand was needed for the construction of the local highway. After the construction work was finished, a lake was left behind which was used by the local community for recreation. The lake has a maximum depth of 12 meter and in general has descent visibility. Various objects are placed such as three small boats, a motorbike, and underwater habitat (requires a key). It has a rich flora/fauna of water plants and fish. Pike, eel and perch are common sights.

Project Name: Haarlemmermeer

Country: Netherlands

Project Manager(s): Axel Gunderson

Contact info: baselinehaarlemmermeer (at) gmail (dot) com

Website: http://projectbaseline.nl

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/pbhbos

Twitter @pbhbos

Description of your Project efforts: We currently have 10 photo stations of which 3 include visibility readings + temp. The rest of them only temp. All of them are photographed on a regular basis. Our goal this year is to find a correlation between water level, and an influx of saline up welling groundwater. My electronic measuring device was malfunctioning and I had to send it back. Yesterday  I received a new one. Collaboration(s): Not based on active interaction.

Project Name: Oostplas Goirle

Country: Netherlands

Project Manager: Huub Martens / Serge Pellikaan

Contact: huub (at) 24diving (dot) nl / sergepellikaan (at) gmail (dot) com
Project Area Description: The project called De Baars Goirle, is captured between the highway and the cities Goirle and Tilburg. As the population is growing, it is even more necessary to monitor this lake.  Our goal is to observe and monitor the conditions on land and underwater, and maintain its surroundings. Mapping the site and inform local government is required. Make the local people aware about the flora and fauna on land and underwater.

The Oostplas is a freshwater lake between Goirle and Tilburg. It was used for the building of a highway near Tilburg. After the highway was finished the freshwater lake became a dumpsite used by a construction compagnie. Now it is growing to become a favorite dive and swim site. Local government is concerned about the safety and quality of this lake. Using project baseline approach is the best way of informing them. Together with our dive team and other volunteers we hope to give the government a discussion and decision making platform

Project Area Name: Vinkeveen

Project Manager Name: Rick van Dijk

Contact: info (at) zeep-vinkeveen (dot) org

Area Website: http://zeep-vinkeveen.org/

Area Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/projectbaselinevinkeveen

Area Description: Project Baseline Nionplas asking local divers to observe water quality (and changes therein) of Nionplas and then register thier observations. Divers can share thier previously collected (for personal use) pictures, video and diving 'logs' for storage in the database provided. They will also be encouraged to participate in the measurement of specific underwater structures such as current and temperature according to our team standards.

Collaborators: Stichting Ravon

Our team coordinates with an organization called Stichting Ravon on the Lota Lota project. The Lota Lota is a burbot that is nearly extinct in The Netherlands. We aim to find the last few and are together searching for his/her breeding grounds. For clients RAVON provides advice, information and conducts research for cold-blooded vertebrates (reptiles, amphibians and fish). Additionally RAVON collects population data and we are responsible for the organization of national networks and the diffusion research, where thousands of volunteers are involved.

Project Area Name: Zegerplas

Project Manager Name: Paula van Rossum

Contact: pevanrossum (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Not available at this time.

Area Description: The volunteers of PB: Zegerplas are going to measure, over a period of at least one year, the visibility (horizontal), temperature at various depths and vertical visibility every other week. Near the location where these measurements are being collected, we will observe the biological status of species encountered on dives.  Using standard forms from other Project Baseline groups in the Netherlands will use SETL plates to measure growth of mussels/sponges and other species at regular intervals through the year. Our team is honored to work under the guidance of w well established team called PB: Haarlemmermeerse bosplas. The teams will work together to take measurements that align with “best practices” for data collection. A process developed and adopted by many Project Baseline teams in the Netherlands. As the project matures, the Zegerplas team will seek training by biologists to perform biological data collection with consistency and regularity.

Project Name: Lake Pupuke

Country: New Zealand

Project Manager: Ebrahim Hussain

Contact: ebihussain (at) gmail (dot) com

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/SavePupuke

Website: Currently unavailable

Project Description: Lake Pupuke is regularly used for recreational purposes as well as national and international sporting events. It is also used as a training ground for a variety of water sports including SCUBA diving, free diving, canoeing, sailing and swimming.

The primary purposes of this project will be to enlist the aid of local residents to obtain graphical information on water clarity, algal movement and general environmental observations at various sites and depths throughout Lake Pupuke.

These sites where selected because they are on opposite sides of the lake and both sites are used as training sites for SCUBA divers. These sites also have public parks and sailing clubs near them so the surface meta data can be easily collected by local communities that regularly visit these parks.

There is a suite of supplementary data that will be included as part of the study.

Parameters to be monitored:

•        Water clarity at several sites and depths
•        Water temperature
•        Photos of algal blooms (depth, volume, colour etc)
•        Any abnormalities
•        Riparian extent
•        Aquatic fauna
•        Aquatic bird numbers
•        Land use
•        Weather conditions
•        Organic silting

All of these parameters are easily measured by members of the public through basic photos and documentation of observations. These photos will be a valuable graphic representation of the lake over time and one can obtain a wealth of information from them.

This data will be used to better focus the Auckland Council’s Lake Pupuke management plan and it will complement the Regional Lakes Monitoring Program. All of this will allow us to make better informed decisions on the long term management of local water bodies.

Collaborators:

• The Auckland Council Environmental Monitoring Research & Evaluation team
• The North Shore Local Board
• The Auckland Council Healthy Waters team
• The Auckland Council Natural Environment Strategy team
• The Auckland Council Biodiversity team
• The Auckland Council Biosecurity team
• Global Dive
• North Shore Free Diving Club

Project Name: Wellington

Country: New Zealand

Project Manager: Nicole Miller

Contact: projectbaseline (dot) wellington (at) gmail (dot) com

Social Media: Currently unavailable

Website: Mountain To Sea Wellington

Project Description: Project Baseline Wellington is a group of engaged scuba divers documenting our local marine environment. The Wellington Harbour and rugged South Coast are iconic Wellington landmarks. Divers have a privileged view of the marine environment and can bring back photos and videos of an otherwise invisible world. A systematic collection of data allows us to build up a snapshot or baseline of what is hidden under the waves. Over time, observations provide a powerful tool to showcase even small and slow changes in the marine environment that would otherwise go unnoticed - a phenomenon often referred to as 'shifting baseline'. Project Baseline Wellington is set up to provide a platform for engaged divers and those interested in our local environment to contribute their underwater observations, build a long-term record and engage the public in marine conservation. Bringing the global Project Baseline initiative to New Zealand our local divers can actively contribute to document the health and vitality of the world's underwater environments, increase public awareness of the health and threat to the world's underwater environments and facilitate political action that improves and protects the health of the world's underwater environments.

We have started monitoring the extent of giant kelp in Kau Bay in June 2016 and we will continue to promote the importance of and threats to seaweed and Wellington's coastal marine ecosystems and associated marine life to the public. We actively try to reach a wide audience and support the marine education school program run by Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust (read more here).

Project Name: Project Baseline Trondheim

Country: Norway

Project Manager(s): Kristian Hafsmo Andersen

Contact Info: Kristian (at) projectbaseline (dot) no

Website: www.projectbaseline.no

Social Media: www.facebook.com/projectbaselinetrondheim @projectbaselinetrondheim

Description of your Project efforts: Mostly cleanup actions from boat on beaches but also removing ghost nets from wrecks on the seafloor. We have 2 temp loggers on two on our station where we monitor cold corals, and we now have statistics for the last 3 years.

Collaboration(s): We cooperate with all environmental organizations in Trondheim, and have an annual beach cleanup day every first Saturday in May where we have around 250 volunteers cleaning beaches.

Project Area Name: Kontiki

Project Manager Name: Noel de la Rosa

This is a Documentation Project. Data contributions from the public are welcome. For more information please use the contact information below.

Contact: info (at) projectbaseline (dot) org

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Social Media: http://www.facebook.com/PBPHL

Area Description: Project Baseline (PB) Mactan-Cebu is the first in the Philippines. In 2011 we began collecting periodic observation photos of underwater dive sites and data such as water temperature and visibility as a way of tracking changes in the health of our precious underwater environments. Our local goal, in line with PB’s overall objective, is to use these observations in establishing a global database of baseline measurements that not only promotes environmental awareness but also provides an objective starting point for corrective political action and policy formation and evaluation. The significance of global conservation efforts such as Project Baseline is comparable to saving the Amazon rainforest. Experts agree that the Philippine’s underwater environment is the world’s blue water version of the Amazon River basin. According to the 2005 Carpentera & Singer report, “The Philippines is not only part of the center but is, in fact, the epicenter of marine biodiversity, with the richest concentration of marine life in the entire planet.”

Why Mactan-Cebu?

Cebu  is unique because most dive spots in the country are away from cities. Cebu is the center of commerce in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Oldest in the Philippines and often called the Queen City of the South, Cebu City is the largest city in the island. Among the main tourist areas around Cebu are the islands of Bantayan, Badian, Malapascua, Camotes and Mactan where many high end resorts are developing. Mactan island, just East of Cebu city, is particularly important because of the large number of beach resorts, and numerous diving opportunities. Many people come here to learn to scuba dive among the coral reefs, underwater wrecks and caves. Because Cebu is the Philippines’ most densely populated island, there is a continual and growing threat of environmental degradation, both on land and underwater. PB’s underwater surveillance helps document environmental damage as well as areas of recovery.

Project Name: Cuevas de España

Country: Spain

Project Manager: Ricardo Constantino

Contact: ricardo (at) entrada (dot) tv

Project Description: The Mind Polje is centrally located in this Estremenho Karst Massif region, and plays a Key role in the complex hydrology of the region. Upstream of the Polje we find the Mindinho - Olho de Mira, Moinhos Velhos - Pena - Contenda and Lomba - Regatinho cave systems, and downstream of the sink holes in the Polje we find three major springs; Alviela, Vila Moreira and Almonda. SPE (Sociedade Portuguesa de Espeleologia) have been studying and exploring these cave systems for decades in an attempt to understand the complex water flow dynamics from the caption areas, through the Polje, across blocking areas to the final discharge springs.

Project Area Name: Project Baseline East Sea

Project Manager Name: Taejin Kwak

Contact: bluewarz (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Description: A lot of underwater area is becoming desertification in our site by harmful things. The most influential of all is the sea urchin. The sea urchin eats almost all of the marine plants. They are harmful animals in Korea. We plan on disposing of them underwater, and record their population and how many we take out each month. We are looking forward to seeing plant growth. We will show the progress of the area via pictures.

Project Name: Project Baseline Singapore

Country: Singapore

Project Manager: Weijie He

Project Manager Contact: he_wei_jie (at) hotmail (dot) com

Social Media: Facebook

Project Description: To document the aquatic life in sites commonly dived by divers. Singapore is surrounded by waters. However, it has the busiest shipping lane in the world. Having the ability to document the aquatic life in this area will be a great data to see how aquatic life survives in this harsh environment where thousands of ships travel in and out daily. The Project also gives GUE divers in Singapore an opportunity to get to apply the skills they learned and to connect with the local GUE community.

Project Name: Gulaska

Project Managers: Eduard Salaj, Andrea Kiss

Contact: baselineslovakia (at) gmail (dot) com

Country: Slovakia

Website: Not available at this time

Social Media: www.facebook.com/ProjectBaselineSlovakia

Description: Lake Gulaska is the most popular diving spot in Slovakia. It's vicinity to Bratislava and relatively clear water makes it an ideal place for training and it's visited by a lot of divers especially in summer. It is becoming popular for other water sports as well. Its maximum depth is 17m and bottom is mostly covered by plants. The most typical freshwater fishes are living here. In the next few years, it is probable that character of surroundings will change. Our goal is to establish the baseline and monitor possible changes in the lake.

Project Name: Islas Hormigas

Country: Spain

Project Manager: Juan Carlos Farra

Contact: jcfarra (at) gmail (dot) com

Social Media: Grupo Project Baseline Islas Hormigas

Website:  http://www.ieo.es

Project Description: Islas Hormigas (Island of the Ants) is probably Spain's best known diving region, and undoubtedly one of the best diving locations in the peninsula. The Islas Hormigas Marine Reserve was created in 1995 and according to the Jacques Costeau Foundation it is the best diving location in the Mediterranean. This project aims to document and help monitor both natural reefs and the countless wrecks located in the area.

Project Name: Cuevas de España

Country: Spain

Project Manager: Ricardo Constantino

Contact: ricardo (at) entrada (dot) tv

Project Description: With our project we would like to record through photographs key locations in the most popular caves in Spain, and track their changes over time. The objective is to 1. Engage divers to record the environment. 2. Help strengthen conservation culture within the cave diving community, through concrete personal actions. 3. Track and monitor changes to the caves. 4. Grow team and capacity to tackle other data collection programs (3D, Temperature) and 5. Build repertoire to engage institutes and universities for collaboration.

Project Area: Swiss Alpine Lakes

Project Manager: Stella Del Curto

Country: Switzerland

Website: http://tue.altervista.org or https://www.facebook.com/ticinounderwaterexplorers/

Contact: info (at) stellastyles (dot) com

Project Description: In Ticino, the southern region of Switzerland, there are more than 40 alpine lakes placed at altitudes between 1000 and 3000 meters above the sea. Most of these lakes have a similar history of formation due to the glaciers, but all of them are different in size, depth and environment. Quite all have often fishes like trout or chars. Few of these lakes have been dived until now due to the difficulties to reach them and arrange a diving logistics, the project aims to try to expand the knowledge about the underwater environment in those lakes by collecting samples and photo/video material. These locations matter to us as Switzerland is well known for its mountains and the lakes are a way to join two passions in one (climb mountains + diving).

As it's not easy to get there (dive gear must be transferred by helicopter, people must climb by feet as the Swiss law do not admit people transportation in a helicopter above 1100 meters except you have special permissions) we plan to do one or two sessions of documentation by year, in summer (in winter, of course, the dive spots are quite all inaccessible due to a lot of snow and iced surface).

Project Name: Marmara

Country: Turkey

Project Manager: Robert Booth

Contact: rob.booth.psych (at) gmail (dot) com

Website: gueturkey.com/pb-marmara

Social Media: facebook.com/PBMarmara

Project Description:

We have begun monitoring water quality, species diversity, coral health and jellyfish numbers at two sites at both ends of Turkey's Marmara region. Collaboration(s): We are informally working with members the Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV), who are helping us with species identification - we are sharing our coral and jelly data with them.  We shall continue consulting with them as our dataset grows.

The Marmara region is quite a large area, which connects via the Aegean to the eastern Mediterranean.  This area is very important to the local fishing and tourism industry and is home to an endemic coral species, which is bleaching.  The sites we will monitor are also frequently visited by divers from Istanbul. It is threatened by garbage, pollution, and increasing water acidity.  We plan to collect imagery, temperature, horizontal visibility, and species density.

In the short term, we will be happy just to raise awareness of the fragility of the ecosystems in our study area.  Turkey's culture of environmental consciousness is, unfortunately, not as developed as those of some other countries, so we will start with the basics of raising awareness to prevent littering of beaches, fishing spots and dive sites, and community protection of natural resources, including the endemic coral and grouper, which are often illegally spearfished.

In the longer term, we want to provide data (especially photos) to local academics and lobby groups working to protect the environment and ecosystems in this area.  We are conducting our Project in collaboration with the Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV in Turkish), which is based at the Faculty of Fisheries, Istanbul University.   TÜDAV are independently monitoring other sites in the vicinity, and we aim to work closely with them. TÜDAV are also running the Yakarsa jellyfish monitoring project, so any jellyfish data we collect will immediately be shared with them.

Project Name: Fireworks Anemone Monitoring Project

Country: Scotland (United Kingdom)

Project Managers: Vanessa Charles

Contact: nessandmartin (at) gmail (dot) com

Project Description: Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh are a Marine Protected Area in the Scottish Highlands with extensive burrowed mud habitats. The nationally rare Pachycerianthus multiplicatus, or Fireworks Anemone, can be found in significant numbers within the MPA and are specific to very sheltered sites in fjordic sea lochs. Beds of this species are a UK Priority Marine Feature and of special conservation concern due to their apparent slow growth rate and vulnerability to environmental changes. This project will monitor a previously undocumented anemone bed in Loch Alsh.

Project Name: Loch Long

Country: Scotland (United Kingdom)

Project Managers: Ryan Mcshane and Marcus Rose

Contact: Mcshaner (at) me (dot) com / marcus (at) wreckandcave (dot) co (dot) uk

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DIR.Scotland/

Project Description: We will be looking to document and preserve the environmental conditions of the local dive sites on loch long. These sites are dived almost daily and many are used for diver training. It is a salt water Sea Loch approximately 20 miles long and around 1-2 miles wide with depths ranging from 6m- 56m. The loch is a host to vast sea life from plant life, small crustaceans, fish, eels and large marine mammals such as porpoises and seals. There is also an oil terminal on the loch which provides deep water berth for tankers. The loch was also used historically during world war 2 as a torpedo testing ground - many of the old torpedoes have been made home by the odd conger eel or lobster.

Project Area Name: Portland Harbour Wrecks

Project Manager Name: Marcus Rose

Contacts: roseym392 (at) hotmail (dot) com

Area Website​: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Closed Facebook Group. Click here to join group.

Area Description:The Portland Harbour Wrecks Project is situated on the south coast of England between Weymouth and Portland. The wrecks within the harbour are only shallow, but are home to a wide variety of sea life and have an interesting history. This area was chosen for Project Baseline as the wrecks are easily accessible in most weather conditions; are frequently dived; and with the harbour now home to a commercial port, we want to monitor any changes to the wrecks and marine life so that we can later determine if the port or other activities, are having an adverse effect on the area.

Portland Harbour started life as a natural shelter for passing shipping, protected by the Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach only. These features provided shipping with protection from the prevailing weather conditions, with the exception of those blowing in from an Easterly direction. In 1845 the Royal Navy established a base at Portland and it was decided that the ships stationed there would require additional protection from the elements. As a result the southerly portion of the manmade breakwater was constructed using Portland Stone from the local quarries, and was completed in 1872.

The rest of the breakwater sections were not built with the weather in mind, but to protect naval vessels from torpedo attack and this resulted in the remaining two sections of the harbour being constructed in 1906. To complete the torpedo defence structure, a decommissioned naval ship (HMS HOOD) was scuttled across the most southerly entrance to the harbour in 1914. Unfortunately whilst the wreck is still in place, it is no longer accessible to divers on safety grounds.

The Portland Harbour Wrecks Project aims to document and monitor the popular wrecks within the large man-made harbour. The team intends to establish a baseline understanding of the wrecks, through detailed documentation, as well as continued monitoring of their condition into the future.

Project Name: Swanage Jurassic Coast

Country: United Kingdom

Project Manager: Jose Francisco Duarte

Contact: duarte.jfcrb (at) gmail (dot) com

Project Description: The team intends to measure water temperature, collect visibility readings, conduct morphological characterisation, and species identification in multiple stations around the Swanage Jurassic coast - Dorset - United Kingdom. This intends to provide a baseline reference for future analysis of the aquatic impact that the surrounding population is having.

The team will also lead the surrounding community in marine debris collection and the removal of fishing gear.

Project Name: Dibba Rock

Country: United Arab Emirates

Project Manager: Dimitrios Fifis

Contact: d (dot) fifis (at) gue (dot) com

Project Description: Documenting marine life and coral population health along with site conditions and effect from divers.

Project Area Name: Florida Springs

Project Manager Name: Rich Denmark

This is a Documentation Project. Data contributions from the public are welcome. For more information please use the contact information below.

Contact: richie (at) gue (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Florida Springs on Facebook

Area Description: "Springs continue to attract people with their unique beauty. They have provided immeasurable natural, recreational and economic benefits for residents and visitors for more than a century. Ginnie Springs is one of the most popular freshwater diving locations in the world. More than a dozen Florida state parks protect the springs for which they are named. The springs' provide recreational opportunities to visitors and several million dollars to the local economy each year. Florida’s springs serve as windows to the mysteries of the Floridan Aquifer, as home for diverse wildlife communities and as favorite recreation sites for many residents and visitors. The challenge lies in preserving the water quality of Florida’s springs while meeting the needs of Florida’s residents, visitors and wildlife." Source: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/springs/about.htm

Sites: 15; Dives: 94; Last Dove: September 23, 2018

Project Area Name: Gulfstream

Project Manager Name: Public Project - Data Contribution Welcome

This is a Documentation Project. Data contributions from the public are welcome. For more information please use the contact information below.

Contact: kristie (at) projectbaseline (dot) org

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: PB Gulfstream on Facebook

Area Description: Project Baseline: Gulfstream is home to over 10-million people, the 3rd largest coral reef in world, and a diverse 7-billion dollar economy. As divers we all know that as population has increased, the quality of the reef, fresh water supplies and fish population have declined in this region. The southwest Florida shelf in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico is the primary feeder to the entire Florida Keyes and is the original spawning grounds for much of the marine life found in and around the Gulfstream.

Project Area Name: Laguna Beach

Project Manager Name: Nadia Lee

Contact: pblagunabeach (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Not available at this time.

Area Description: Laguna Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, situated approximately 50 miles south of Los Angeles. The city is renowned for its dramatic coastal bluffs, secluded coves, balmy Mediterranean climate, and art festivals, but it is the dynamic and diverse underwater world which attracts scores of divers to the temperate Pacific waters of Laguna.

All told, Laguna encompasses 7 miles of coastline, stretching from northernmost Abalone Point to Three Arch Bay in the south. The oceans along the Laguna coast fall entirely under the purview of three marine protected areas (MPAs) established in 2012: Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve (SMR), Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA), and Dana Point SMCA. There are over 30 beaches, coves, and bays (more than half of which are sheltered, easily accessible shore diving sites popular for training and recreation). As with much of Southern California, the marine environment of Laguna is changing in rapid and dramatic fashion.

Our personal observations in recent years include rising water temperatures, the proliferation of invasive Sargassum horneri, the decimation of the iconic kelp forests, expanding urchin barrens, and the near-complete disappearance of sea stars due to wasting disease (to name a few). The initial objective of this project is simply to utilize Project Baseline's database as a platform for documenting these and other changes, and all divers who visit Laguna are welcome to contribute data and images. Please email pblagunabeach@gmail.com for more information on how to participate.

Project Area Name: Lake Champlain

Project Manager Name: David Potter

Contact: dgpotter191 (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time. Please check back soon.

Area Social Media: Not available at this time. Please check back soon.

Area Description: Lake Champlain Vermont contains wrecks from the 18th, 19th, and 20th century. Several of the 1800 era wrecks located in Lake Champlain are part of the Lake Champlain Underwater Preserve system. The wrecks are buoyed during the months of May to November and accessible to many divers. Depths range from approximately 35 feet to 100 feet in depth. The invasive Zebra Mussel is a major problem for underwater features in Lake Champlain. Additionally, due to many sources, visibility is also a concern. The goal of this project will be to document any changes in the wrecks as recorded by photographs and also record visibility to help track changes in the lake.

Project Area Name: Lake Murray

Project Manager Name: Jason Wright

Contact: aerosooner1 (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: Not available at this time.

Area Social Media: Not available at this time.

Area Description: Lake Murray is a major recreational lake in Southern Oklahoma.  Over the last decade, the lake has faced invasive species, such as hydrilla and zebra mussels.  It is also one of the few lakes in the state where freshwater jellyfish can be found. Since Lake Murray is frequented by scuba divers, and is facing many threats, it makes sense to set up a Project Baseline site there. Marietta Landing at Lake Murray.

Project Name: Lake Ouachita

Country: United States

Project Manager:  Travis McElveen

Contact: twmcelveen (at) gmail (dot) com

Website: None at this time

Social Media: Not at this time

Project Description: Lake Ouachita is described as one of the cleanest lakes in the US, however in the short time I’ve been diving the conditions at the lake vary widely from I’ve heard from other divers who have dove there in the past. Lake O is a major recreational lake used by lots of fishermen, recreational water sports, as well as divers from Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Louisiana and Northeast Texas.  I’ve heard anecdotally that there used to be quite a bit of hydrilla which was removed some years ago. I suspect that whatever means of removing it may have in some way contributed to the decline in water quality. Short term goals are to track water quality at one site over a period of time, then adding more sites to track how quality varies across different portions of the lake. This information could be used by the Army Corps of Engineers, which runs the hydroelectric plant there as well as the Park dept in order to help drive more informed decisions regarding lake use and maintenance.

Project Name: Lake Tahoe

Installing A Project Baseline: Tahoe Monitoring Station, DL Bliss State Park, Ca from Partial Pressure Productions on Vimeo.

Area Description: Known as the "Jewel of the Sierra", Lake Tahoe is designated as an Outstanding National Resource Water, which is a special designation under the Clean Water Act, because of its historic clarity and water quality. In 2010, the New Millennium Dive Expeditions (NMDE) team began a focused effort to document the true condition of the lake by reporting underwater conditions personally observed at specific locations while submerged from the nearshore down to 450 feet.

In 2002, NMDE divers received regional recognition by successfully completing a technical dive to the SS Tahoe, which was scuttled in 1940. This ambitious high elevation, deep water documentation of the SS Tahoe lead to it's official listing as a Historic Landmark on the United States National Register of Historic Landmarks. The team's reputation as a competent, well organized, and safe group of divers grew over the years and prompted the team to engage in a sorely needed citizen scientist underwater documentation initiative by establishing a formal collaboration with Project Baseline.

In 2011, the team installed four observation Stations at key locations around the lake at depths ranging between 25-75 feet. Each Station provides the team, as well as all Lake Tahoe divers, analog and temperature depth gauges and standardized visibility measurement system. Each Station is visited on a regular basis by divers. Underwater conditions are recorded and uploaded to the Project Baseline database and in the near future, will provide the public with a consistent and regular record of lake visibility.

During 2012-2013, the team established a formal relationship with the University of Nevada, Reno limnologists who are conducting research on flora and fauna whose populations serve as key indicators of lake clarity. NMDE divers received funding sufficient to conduct as series of dives in the southern portion of the lake and were tasked with the retrieval and planting of native plant samples at depths that exceed the capacity of local research divers. "Working with the New Millennium and Project Baseline divers allows the scientists at my University (Nevada) to look at the mechanisms of decline with the hope that we can prevent the extinction of these unique  creatures. My laboratory staff and I am grateful for the relationship we are developing with our diving partners." - Dr. Sudeep Chandra, Associate Professor, Limnology & Conservation Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno. Read more about the team's recent execution of the first shallow water circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe.

Project Baseline: Lake Tahoe volunteer divers look forward to continue monitoring their observation Stations and working with local academic and environmental management agencies in an effort to provide objective documentation of seldom visited underwater areas of the Lake. Read more about the team's latest efforts by downloading the September 2015 Reno News and Review article at the bottom of this page.

Project Area Name: Point Lobos

Project Manager Name: N/A

Contact: u-2-josh (at) hotmail (dot) com

Area Description: Welcome to the Point Lobos Project Baseline Area. This area is a collaborative effort between Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) and the Bay Area Underwater Explorers. The project's objective is to document, monitor, and help understand the changes to the Point Lobos marine area.

Area Website: Bay Area Underwater Explorers

Area Social Media: Not Available.

Project Area Name: Southeast Florida - Large Coral Project

Project Manager Name: Brian Walker

Contact: walkerb (at) nova (dot) edu

Area Social Media: Currently in development. Please check back soon.

Area Description: Documentation of large coral in Broward and Miami-Dade County.

Project Area Name: St. Lawrence River

Project Manager Name: Bob Sherwood & Lisa Goodlin

Contact: neuefish (at) gmail (dot) com

Area Website: http://northeastunderwaterexplorers.org/neue/

Station-Based Project

Research Support Project

Area Social Media: Currently in development. Please check back soon.

Area Description: Our station-based project is located on the wreck of the A. E. Vickery. The project has two missions: 1) Consistently gathering data for Project Baseline , and 2) Documenting the condition of the wreck, which will be managed on the NEUE website.

Collaboration(s): Our research-support project is a collaboration with the Thousand Islands Biological Station, part of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Each dive season, with the help of local dive charters, divers gather data on eight species of fish. At the end of the season, the charter operators send the data to NEUE. We compile it into a spreadsheet and send it on to TIBS. This data helps TIBS locate certain populations and gives them clues about the general health of the environment.

The Northeast Underwater Explorers embarked on their first project to create a baseline of measurements and observations of the shipwreck, A. E. Vickery. The information will be documented and posted for future reference for the purpose of evaluating the deterioration over time and making decisions about its conservation. The A. E. Vickery was a three masted schooner built and launched in 1861 as the “J.B.Penfield”. She was renamed in 1884 as the A. E. Vickery. She was sailing from Chicago to Prescott carrying a cargo of 21,000 bushels of corn. On August 15, 1889 in the St. Lawrence River she had to make a tack to clear the lighthouse on Rock Island but missed stays in coming about and struck a shoal. She hung on to the rocks for 4 hours before slipping beneath the waters. No one on board was injured.

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), Thousand Islands Biological Station (TIBS). TIBS is part of ESF. The TIBS research program focuses on the aquatic ecology of the river including fisheries, wetlands, and limnology. The St. Lawrence River is home to around 85 species of fish. Our team will be collecting data for TIBS which will not require any special equipment or trips to specific locations. Divers will simply record observations of any of eight species of fish that they see while diving. The data sheet developed by TIBS will be printed on Wet Notes paper and distributed to divers. Divers will also be given a fish ID guide also developed by TIBS.

Project Name:The Fingers

Country: United States

Project Manager: Christopher Aldrich

Contact: christopher (dot) aldrich1203 (at) gmail (dot) com

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Project Description:The Fingers is a popular dive site in Oregon. The last time Chris noticed a new resident wolf eel which he had not observed before.  The long term goals are to observe new marine life and keep the area clean of trash while also bringing awareness to other divers and non divers about the life in the area and how to minimize our impact on them while enjoying them.