Chris Roberts, a researcher at in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UNSW is looking for old and new diving photos, videos for to a new research project.


It is hoped that the images and recollections collected for the In Bygone Dives project, which was launched at the Manly Seaweed Forests Festival on Sunday, April 18, will lead to a better understanding of how the underwater world has changed over recent decades. The project is currently focusing on two study regions, Sydney and the NSW North Coast, but may expand to include more regions at a later stage. The researchers are particularly interested in photos or videos from these Sydney dive sites: Shelly Beach, Fairy Bower, Camp Cove, Fairlight, Clifton Gardens, Gordons Bay, Clovelly Pool, Shark Point, Bare Island, Kurnell and Ship Rock. They are also keen to track the timing and location of the loss of underwater forests such as kelp from NSW North Coast, between Byron Bay and Tweed Heads.

Divers who want to contribute photos to the project should upload them to the In Bygone Dives iNaturalist page. Click here for more information on the research project.