The influence of landscape and seascape features in the location of underwater recreation sites

Mestrado em Arquitectura Paisagista - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaThis study aims to use the SCUBA diving activity as a mean to analyse the different components of the coastal and underwater landscape, since this recreational activity is intimately related to the processes that occur in these environments. With this approach, it is expected to enlarge the scope of landscape architecture to the underwater scenery. It intends to analyse the characteristics of each dive site individually, in relation to their neighbourhood and also the whole study area, looking to detect associations between these characteristics and their presence. Several dive centres were contacted in order to obtain data. The data gathered corresponds to the dive sites’ location as well as the frequency of visits in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The method used was based on the application of metrics used in other research contexts (e.g.: landscape ecology; urban planning). On a second phase, using an adequate regression equation applied through the “Stepwise” technique, a few variables were statistically classified as relevant for the occurrence of dive sites. The result is one model that allows us to interpret the reasons that could justify the dive sites observed and to define a probability of their future existence in the remaining seascap