It all starts with the moment a ship hits the seafloor. Almost immediately, it begins to transform. Marine organisms like algae, barnacles and corals start to colonise the hull, followed by larger creatures like crabs, eels and eventually schools of fish. To divers, these wrecks can look like bustling underwater cities, but to marine scientists, they are valuable models of ecological succession.
Update 14 Oct:
The long-standing rent dispute that hindered a Florida county’s efforts to convert the historic ship into the world’s largest artificial reef has now been resolved. The agreement to settle this dispute was announced on Friday. On Saturday, conservancy and county officials gathered at the Philadelphia pier, where the ship is docked, for a brief title transfer ceremony.
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The event takes place from September 7th to September 14th, 2024.
The Hilma Hooker is one of the most well-known and favorite (wreck) dives on Bonaire. The wreck is in great shape and easily accessible from shore, as well as by boat, making it the favorite wreck in the Caribbean for many.
The Hilma Hooker was built in 1951 in The Netherlands under the name Midsland. after changing names many times, it ended up on Bonaire in June 1984.
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.
