It came from a wreck in the Baltic. The world's seas are littered with sunken ships, many of them in shallow coastal waters because that's where the majority of people sail, within sight of land.
As a history lover, I'm looking forward to diving on wrecks. There's something special about getting close of old artefacts of any sort, and swimming around an old ship that relatively few people have seen for decades must be particularly exciting. Especially if you're one of the first to be there following its discovery.
But, sadly, it appears that not all divers respect the historic significance or integrity of a wreck. They're more interested in taking away souvenirs, and damaging the remains in the process. I've already heard plenty of stories of divers who've lifted objects from wrecks in British waters, and I've only been diving for a few months.
I can understand the magpie urge to take away bright, shiny stuff. And I would not be immune to temptation myself. Until I've had the opportunity myself, and made the decision about what to do, I'm not going to judge the behaviour of my fellow divers. After all, if I find something that's interesting and portable, but leave it behind, the next diver who comes along is unlikely to do the same. So why shouldn't I take it?
Unless active measures are taken to protect a wreck, the reality is that it'll soon be stripped of anything that's easy to lift. And I'm sure not all of it is taken for personal pleasure, but is quickly sold on for a profit. The law says anything removed from the UK's seabed should be reported to the Receiver of Wreck, as it's someone else's property. I wonder how many calls they get from divers?
Removing items from wrecks is one thing - wanton destruction is another. I recently read posts on a scuba diving discussion forum about the destruction of items placed underwater in a quarry, as landmarks for divers.
It seems that some divers can't resist the urge to smash objects simply because they can, without any regard for the inconvenience and annoyance it causes to others. These are the sort who shouldn't be allowed near wrecks at all, because they'd simply break things up for the the sake of it. Not only would they spoil the submerged historic landscape for other divers, they'd also be at risk of wasting vintage champagne!
If you want to read the BBC News article about the discovery of champagne in the Baltic, click here.
