Maui Shipwreck Carthaginian II

The [http://stevenwsmeltzer.com/gallery/Carthiginian-Shipwreck/G0000uhmxfmGxkic/ Carthaginian II], once used as a whaling museum, is a replica of a 19th century brig similar to the ships that first introduced trade to the Hawaiian Islands. This vessel was a cement carrier constructed in Germany in the 1920's and renamed the Carthaginian II. It sailed to Lahaina in 1973 where it took seven years for the historically accurate 18th century whaling ship rigging to be assembled. The ship functioned as a reminder of Lahaina's maritime heritage and was docked for many years at Lahaina Harbor. The ship was owned by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation which operated the museum on board which displayed relics of Lahaina's historic whaling days. On December 13, 2005, following two years of preparation, Atlantis Adventures sank the Carthaginian off Lahaina, Maui, creating an artificial reef that will have lasting marine life benefits. The reefing took place off Puamana which is just outside the Lahaina harbor. The 97-foot, steel-hulled vessel, sank in 95 feet of water where it will serve as an artificial reef. Atlantis spent around $350,000 on the [http://stevenwsmeltzer.com/gallery/Carthiginian-Shipwreck/G0000uhmxfmGxkic/ Carthaginian shipwreck project], including preparation of environmental studies. American Marine Services was employed to handle the sinking operation. Before the Carthaginian II was towed from Lahaina Harbor, entertainers from the Old Lahaina Lu'au performed "Aloha" ; and members of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation placed lei on the ship and held signs bidding it aloha. To prepare for the sinking, 10 tons of concrete had been loaded on board, adding to the 35 tons of material the boat already was carrying. Atlantis' small tugboat Roxie pulled the [http://stevenwsmeltzer.com Carthaginian II] from the harbor before transferring the operation to the larger American Islander tugboat. A fleet of approximately twenty boats watched the Carthaginian II as it arrived at Puamana along with numerous spectators lining the seashore. A blessing was offered in Hawaiian and a three ton anchor was secured to the bow section and seawater began to be pumped into the hull. Twenty seven minutes afterward the vessel sank to the bottom amidst applause from the audience and the blasts of three miniature brass cannons. The Dive The vessel was sunk approximately 7 years ago and at the present provides a home for a large mix of marine life. When you start to descend from the mooring ball you will on average be able to distinguish the outline of the wreck rather easily. The visibility at this dive site is typically 80+ feet and a great deal of the time in excess of 100+ feet. The shipwreck lies in approximately ninety  ft of water off the coast of Lahina and is a great spot for underwater photography. The main mast fell in mid-summer 2011 and can now be seen resting on the main deck. The main cabin roof and walls have begun to decay to some degree and there are numerous holes into the hold. The access to the hold itself is rather large and readily accessible. The engine room and forward compartment is blocked by a gate however you may still get a good variety of pictures in this section. There are several frogfish upon the wreck. Smeltzer was able to photograph five different frogfish on my most recent dive. These fish are very well positioned for [http://stevenwsmeltzer.com/gallery-image/Carthiginian-Shipwreck/G0000uhmxfmGxkic/I00009H42w7U0w70 macro underwater] pictures and can use up a lot of bottom time, nevertheless it is well worth the effort. While scuba diving on the shipwreck, you will also find a broad assortment of fish such as, Pacific Trumpetfish, Sergeant Majors, Dascyllus, Orangespine Unicornfish, Rainbow Cleaner Wrasse, and many more. This shipwreck dive is best when there are less than 10 divers in the water given that the ship itself is not very big. It makes a quite interesting dive and I highly recommend