Sinking ships for wreck diving sites
Sinking ships for wreck diving sites is the practice of scuttling old ships to produce artificial reefs suitable for wreck diving, to benefit from commercial revenues from recreational diving of the shipwreck, or to produce a diver training site.
Explosives detonating to sink the former HMNZS Wellington (F69) in 2005
Scuttling of MT Hephaestus off Xatt l-Aħmar, Gozo, Malta on 29 August 2022
An artificial reef (AR) is a human-created freshwater or marine benthic structure.
Typically built in areas with a generally featureless bottom to promote marine life, it may be intended to control erosion, protect coastal areas, block ship passage, block the use of trawling nets, support reef restoration, improve aquaculture, or enhance scuba diving and surfing. Early artificial reefs were built by the Persians and the Romans.
Human-created objects provide hiding places for marine life, like this Sarcastic fringehead
A newly constructed electrified reef set up by Gili Eco Trust in Indonesia.
Constructing an artificial reef using concrete breeze blocks
Oyster castle reef, Gandy's Beach shoreline protection project