In Michigan we have Underwater Preserve groups created, as well as general divers, that watch over the wrecks. We try to keep an eye on who is diving where just to monitor usage, and if something is missing or disturbed we have an idea who to talk to. Few divers still try to strip wrecks, but some still damage wrecks through poor skills or simply trying to force their way into tight spaces. The Preserve groups usually try to install secure moorings so that individual boats don't need to anchor or hook into the wrecks, as that caused a lot of damage in the past.
These days the largest amount of damage to the wrecks in my area is caused by the "I can swim through that small opening" type of diver, and the "take my picture here" group. Posing in your dive gear, sitting on a toilet, is cute until you bang your tank into the ceramic while getting up, shattering it. That happened on one of our wrecks last summer. Now I caution divers against such actions at each site. We seem to suffer damage in different places each summer, but some divers have no clue as to the permanent impact of what they do - or they just don't care. I tell divers that if they come up covered in silt or rust, they have probably been someplace they shouldn't be.
Wreck Protection
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Guest II
Wreck Protection
I'm not a diver and never will be able to do so (dive). I have no idea how wrecks can be protected from desecration or destruction by divers. How are the authorities able to monitor a submerged wreck to ensure that divers do not violate wrecks considered to be "off limits"? Thank you.