Buddy Dive Resort will celebrate 40 years of Hilma Hooker diving in 2024
On September 12, 2024, it is exactly 40 years ago the Hilma Hooker sank.
On September 12, 2024, it is exactly 40 years ago the Hilma Hooker sank.
Artificial reefs are increasingly used worldwide as a method for managing recreational diving since they have the potential to satisfy both conservation goals and economic interests.
Although there are negative impacts associated with mass diving tourism, scuba diving has the potential to generate substantial revenues. However, balancing the requirements of reef conservation with the needs of local host economies represents a considerable challenge to managers and policymakers.
The ecological role of shipwrecks as artificial reefs is well established and they are often prime and exclusive destinations for diving tourism. But they are also extremely delicate and sensitive environments.
The 60m-long, former tanker Hephaestus, which was scuttled at Xatt l-Aħmar just 30m off Gozo’s south-east coast on 29 August had run aground on rocks in St Paul’s Bay in Malta three and half years ago and subsequently written off.
Belize is a country blessed with an abundance of fabulous coral reefs, to which its newest underwater attraction—the sunken ship "The Wit"—adds another dimension. Angelique Brathwaite has the story.
The operation was organised by the Tourism Authority together with the Ministry for Tourism and the Association of Professional Diving Schools of Malta, Gozo and Comino.
The boat was scuttled and sank between the wrecks of St Michael and Melita, two tugboats that also serve as scuba diving sites.
M/F Ærøsund is a former ferry that served the islands in the South Funen archipelago. It was scuttled in 2014 in a sheltered bay just 550m off Funen’s southern coastline where it now rests at a depth of only 19m. It is easily visible from the surface.
While Florida’s eastern coast certainly offers countless popular wreck dives, the Panhandle is an often-overlooked gem. The Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail provides an enjoyable mechanism for divers to experience the history and heritage the Gulf of Mexico has to offer within the realm of wreck diving.
The TriStar plane is a commercial airliner that has been out of service and parked at King Hussein International Airport for several years. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) recently purchased the plane with the intention of sinking it, and it was transferred to the main port to prepare it for is final role. The TriStar is the second aircraft to become an artificial reef off Jordan's coastline. In November 2017, a Hercules C130 was scuttled a bit farther down the coast.
HMAS Tobruk was retired last year after 35 years of service, including many humanitarian missions. She was launched in 1980. During her 34-year operational history, Tobruk sailed over 947,000 nautical miles (1,754,000 km; 1,090,000 mi) and was deployed on 26 major operations. HMAS Sydney was laid down and launched in 1980.
The ship was purchased from the federal government of Canada through Crown Assets Distribution in 2008 with the intent of making this the first artificial reef in the Greater Vancouver area.
Leading up to the sinking, the Annapolis has been meticulously cleaned of hazardous and pollutant materials in compliance with federal regulations and an estimated 250 tons of materials (almost everything but the steel hull and aluminium super structure) has been recycled.