The Caribbean’s newest dive site is one of the only ships to survive the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor.
It’s called the Kodiak Queen, and it’s just been sunk in the heart of the British Virgin Islands near Necker Island by a group of conservationists led by Sir Richard Branson.
After reaching the ocean floor, the ship will now be a permanent eco-friendly underwater art installation known as the BVI Art Reef.
The installation is headlined by a huge art piece, a giant kraken, along with a host of other sculptures set inside the heart of the old ship.
The Kodiak Queen during its heyday.
The aim of the project is to help draw attention to major global environmental issues, from climate change to protecting coral reefs to the rehabilitation of vulnerable marine species.
“I’m already looking forward to returning for a dive once it has become a thriving marine habitat,” Branson wrote in his personal blog on Virgin.com. “Everything from corals to sea sponges, sharks and turtles will live on, in and around the wreck as it helps rehabilitate heavily over-fished marine populations.”
The project was a joint effort including the government of the British Virgin Islands, Unite BVI, Maverick1000, Secret Samurai Productions, Beneath the Waves, Commercial Dive Services and the Association of Reef Keepers.
Branson has long been a proponent of conservation as a means of economic growth, and it’s hoped that this latest venture will become a popular Caribbean diving destination.
For more information visit the BVI Art Reef.
