Scuba Diver Finds Root Of Cedar Tree In Ocean Waters Off Bermuda's Coast

During a leisure scuba diving expedition a professional scuba diver recently discovered

an unusual plant beneath the surface of the ocean in a location nine miles off the northern coast of the Caribbean island of Bermuda.

The root of what appears to be a Bermuda Cedar tree is still planted in its original position but it lies 53 feet underwater.

Harold Conyers, a scuba diving enthusiast and Chairman of the Historic Wreck Authority, discovered the root during scuba diving holidays in Bermuda this summer.

At first I thought it might be a piece of a wooden shipwreck just emerging from the sand and wedged up against the undersea coral cliff. This of course piqued my interest but upon closer inspection it was clearly recognisable as a piece of a tree a tree stump and root in fact, Mr Conyers explained.

There was a central area with worn tree rings where the trunk once stood and what looked like roots spanning out from the centre much like the remnants of the cedar forests that once dominated Bermuda that we still see in undeveloped coastal areas. Tree roots on occasion can and do get swept out to sea and can be found wedged under rocks after hurricanes but this seemed different to me it did not look like it had tumbled there but that it was in situ, that it had grown there.

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and the Department of Conservation Services within the Ministry of Public Works have been working together with a team of local divers from Triangle Diving to study the root and find out how it came to be on the ocean floor.

The team of divers went scuba diving in Bermuda last month along with experts, Teddy Tucker and Dr Philippe Rouja to relocate the root.

Dr Rouja said: A new discovery is always exciting, especially one as potentially relevant as this. It was immediately clear that the root was potentially in situ and it was decided to take a sample and bring it back for analysis.

The scuba diving team has sent the root sample to Professor Blasco at the Bedford Institute who will carry out radiocarbon date testing in the near future.

Once the root is tested, the experts will gain a deeper understanding of how tall coral reef structures come to be formed over a period of time and the effects that rising sea levels have on coral dominated coastlines.

Bermuda is a popular destination for scuba diving holidays due to its unique pink sand beaches that are fringed with crystal clear turquoise ocean waters and an array of sea creatures such as colourful corals, parrotfish, angelfish, crabs and seahorses.

by: Orly Withmolaw

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