All bodies of water will have its own unique peculiarities that need to be addressed through professional action. In Massachusetts, the Merrimack River has been a site of concern over the past few years, with crews working to recover the wrecks of abandoned cars that have been dumped in its waters.
The Boston Globe recently reported on the Clean Water Project, a local group that investigates the river and looks for the bodies of old cars that have been dumped. The initiative began as an informal "scavenger hunt" but is now a serious operation that employs professional divers to find and remove the discarded vehicles. As of this week, there have been more than 50 cars removed.
Along with the hours of work that it takes to remove these cars and bring them to the surface, divers also have to work around the fish that inhabit some of the wrecks. But the recovery effort isn't just for the benefit of the river: many local residents depend upon the Merrimack as a source of drinking water.
The founder of the project, Rocky Morrison, has been at work since 2005 searching for lost cars and has been able to attract professionals to help. These include diver Michael Nalen, who told the Globe about the importance of removing the large bodies of the cars.
"When people see big objects, they can relate," he said. "It's really an eye-opener to the pollution and (the) problem that's been going on for years." He also added that the lack of visibility underwater makes it difficult to maneuver where the cars are. "Basically, I swim until I bang my head into them."
That statement alone should show how easily these ventures can injure divers, and why commercial diving insurance is essential in bodies of water of all sizes.