On the 28th of March 2011 the Nature Foundation was contacted by a local Dive Centre who reported severe structural damage observed on the Carib Cargo Wreck Dive Site. The Carib Cargo is an approximately 30 meter wreck which sits upright in 45ft of water. It lays within the Boundaries of the Man of War Shoals Marine Park and is one of the most popular dive sites, particularly with divers visiting the island, especially cruise visitors. It is also one of the healthiest artificial reefs on the island, with significant amount of wildlife calling the wreck home. It was reported that significant damage was caused to the Bridge of the Carib Cargo, which was considered the most area of the wreck and one which provided the most suitable habitat for marine life, including numerous coral colonies and fish species. The bridge of the Carib Cargo also provides a popular swim through for divers.
On the 29th of March Nature Foundation staff dove on the Carib Cargo using SCUBA to assess the damage. Significant structural damage was noticed on the bridge, with wide gashes located on the port side, top, and starboard side of the structure. A segment of the bridge mast was also torn off and was found lying approximately 20 meters to the port side of the wreck. Numerous pieces of coral were found shorn off and littering the bottom. Upon initial assessment it was determined that either a towing cable or a dragged anchor caused the damage to the wreck. Follow up assessment dives using camera equipment were carried out and an incident report was compiled and submitted to the relevant authorities. It was also noted that the Nature Foundation Dive Mooring on the Carib Cargo was missing due to the damage caused to the super structure. This is the second such incident with damage to dive sites in the area of the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, with similar damage caused to Proselyte Reef early 2010. The Nature Foundation will continue its assessment of the damage and will explore ways in which to restore both the damage on the Carib Cargo and on Proselyte Reef. There is also continued positive cooperation with authorities regarding ways to ensure that similar incidents are avoided in the future.
