Raising awareness of the underwater landscape – divers’ perceptions
How do divers perceive the underwater landscape? A questionnaire developed by the University of Turku received some interesting answers.
The BalticRIM project partner University of Turku disseminated a questionnaire among divers in Finland and received 139 answers. The results of this poll shed light on the role of the underwater landscape and the way it is perceived. To put it simply, the underwater landscape is a combination of its flora, fauna and cultural heritage. Divers experience it with strong emotions and as a place described as majestic, adventurous and vulnerable. The divers' answers indicate a need to raise awareness of underwater landscape and its protection.
In spring Laura Seesmeri (project researcher in landscape studies at the University of Turku) made another effort to raise public awareness of the underwater landscape. She took part in an event called “For Our Sea´s Sake” organized for children on the West coast of Finland. The event took place parallel to the opening seminar for maritime spatial planning in the West of Finland. The children could create their own model of an underwater landscape in an aquarium using stones, sand, flora, sunken wood and laminated pictures of fish, and finally take picture of it with an underwater camera. Those who didn´t want to play with water could choose definitions and elements of the underwater landscape written on small pieces of paper and put them into a glass can. The children could also compose a short story dedicated to the underwater landscape. This wokshop pointed out how crucial it is to raise awareness of underwater landscape, especially among children.
Laura Seesmeri also wrote a short contribution about the questionnaire for the Finnish divers’ magazine to express gratitude to the divers for responding to the questionnaire and to touch upon the key issues regarding the importance of underwater landscape.
Read more (in Finnish)