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Belize to Add New Wreck Dive at Turneffe Marine Reserve

The submersion of a 375-foot concrete ship, The Wit Concrete, donated by ASR-BSI, will become Belize’s largest wreck dive and reef enhancement project to be located at Blackbird Caye, within the Soldier Caye Conservation Zone in the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve. The announcement was made on Monday, August 30, 2021, by the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA), in collaboration with Blackbird Caye Resort and Blue Finance with support from the Ministry of Blue Economy & Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Tourism & Diaspora Relations.

Belize to Add New Wreck Dive at Turneffe Marine Reserve

photo credit – Beth Watson

The presentation of this new dive destination “The Wit, Turneffe”, will relieve stress on natural reef habitats, while providing an exciting alternative wreck dive destination.  The initiative places Belize on a regional map positioning this new blue economy and marine tourism national product among the largest wreck dive destinations in the Caribbean. The destination is comparative to its sister ship sunk in US Virgin Islands in 1995 – The WitConcrete II where it has become one of that islands premier dive sites.

Affectionately known as ‘The Wit’, she was used as a floating transfer station to transport supplies around the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard of the US during the second world war.  Presumably one of the largest of approximately a dozen concrete ships built between 1942 and 1944, The Wit measures roughly 375 ft in length, 58ft in width and 38ft in depth.  Most recently, she was used for the storage of molasses by the Belize Sugar Industries Ltd. (BSI), who gifted her to TASA in May 2021.

This new reef enhancement project is intended to provide a new source of income for the marine reserve and its stakeholders, by attracting wreck divers for a new and unique diving experience in the Turneffe Atoll, as well as increasing marine biodiversity.

Belize to Add New Wreck Dive at Turneffe Marine Reserve

photo credit – Beth Watson

“Wreck diving is an increasingly popular activity that draws a select population of environmentally conscious divers from across the world. Over the years, marine flora and fauna will use The Wit’s walls, rooms and cabins, filling them with a different history, as the wreck gradually blends into the existing reef system” says Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director of TASA.
 
Guided by Joe Weatherby, President of Artificial Reefs International and expert in planned submersion of ships, The Wit is being extensively cleaned and prepped by the most capable local marine experts. She will meet both national and U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, ensuring the absence of hazardous materials that can negatively impact the ecosystem in which she will reside. She will also be made more diver friendly, by widening and in some cases creating access points for ease of entry and exit for the safety of the divers that will enjoy this new dive destination for Belize. Once cleared by the Department of Environment, she will be towed to the site and sunk before the end of September 2021.

Funds collected from the wreck diving through the park entrance fee system will assist in funding TASA’s operations and other programs in the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve. In the long term, TASA aims to develop an impactful and exclusive experience where divers can directly participate in scientific monitoring, protection of the area and other new exciting opportunities.

Belize to Add New Wreck Dive at Turneffe Marine Reserve

photo credit – Beth Watson

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