Alberta Underwater Council

Howie Robins – Divescapes 09 Presenter: The Evolution of an Artifical Reef

Howie’s presentation will feature their latest project HMCS Annapolis the last of the great steam driven destroyers and also explain the complexities of creating ships to reef projects.  You will see a myriad of detailed planning needed for large complex projects and what they have produced in return to our coastal waters. The ARSBC has become a tourism success story in Canada and around the world.  In British Columbia you will understand the impact of these "man made reefs" and how they have helped to enhance BC's scuba dive tourism industry, the marine ecology and the economic benefits to BC's coastal communities. www.artificialreef.bc.ca

Howie Robins is the President and one of the original members the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia.  He has been an active community diver for over 30 years and has remained close to the scuba dive industry in BC. Howie has extensive wreck diving experience throughout the world and assisted on the underwater video capture of the sinking of the USS Oriskany a distinguished US WWII aircraft carrier sunk in Pensacola Florida in 2006.

This year the ARSBC celebrates its 20th year when it began in 1989 as a non profit volunteer society dedicated to the enhancement of British Columbia's marine environment.  The group been successful in sinking a 178 ft coastal freighter,  6  decommissioned 366 ft Canadian built destroyers,  a 455 foot WWII Victory ship and most recently the worlds first Boeing 737 resting on a cradle in 90 feet. The ARSBC through its volunteer programs has advanced the growing movement of sinking ships to create new marine habitat and to advance the sport of wreck diving through public education.  The ARSBC has pioneered its ship recycling and environmental clean up technology as a home grown entity whose activates have been admired and adopted in other reefing programs outside of Canada.  Our successes have become known as the "the Canadian model" for ships to reef programs.

The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, c/o Vancouver Maritime Museum
1905 Ogden Avenue
Vancouver B.C.  V6J 1A3
Web site: www.artificialreef.bc.ca