Wreck Diving Maui

The Carthaginian II, previously utilized as a whaling museum, is a copy of a 19th century brig analogous to the ships which initially delivered commerce to the Hawaiian Islands. The vessel was a cement carrier built 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 correct 18th century whaling ship rigging to be assembled. The ship served as a reminder of Lahaina's nautical 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. Atlantis Adventures sank the Carthaginian II outside of Lahaina Harbor in Maui on Dec 13, 2005, 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 Carthaginian shipwreck project, counting preparation of environmental studies. American Marine Services was employed to conduct 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 vessel 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 ship already was carrying. Atlantis' small tugboat Roxie pulled the Carthaginian II from the harbor before transferring the operation to the larger American Islander tugboat. A flotilla of about 20 boats watched the Carthaginian II as it arrived at Puamana along with numerous spectators lining the beach. A blessing was offered in Hawaiian and a 3 ton anchor was secured to the bow and seawater began to be pumped into the ship. Twenty seven minutes later the vessel sank to the bottom amidst applause from the viewers and the blasts of 3 miniature brass cannons.

The Dive

The shipwreck rests in approximately 90 feet of water off the coast of Lahina and is a excellent spot for underwater photography. It is roughly a ten to fifteen minute trip from the harbor to the dive site. The ship was reefed roughly 7 years before and at the present supports a wide variety of marine life. When you start to descend from the mooring ball you should ordinarily be able to spot the outline of the shipwreck rather easily. The visibility at this dive site is regularly 80+ feet and a good deal of the time over 100+ feet.

There may be some current on the site so a few scuba divers might want to descend by means of the mooring line. As you descend you should start to notice more details regarding the vessel along with the impacts of being on the reef for about seven years. The main mast collapsed in mid-summer 2011 and can currently be viewed sitting upon the deck. The main cabin roof and walls have begun to decay to some level and there are several holes into the hold. The entrance to the cargo hold itself is very large and readily accessible. The engine room and forward compartment is blocked by means of a gate however you will still get a good mix of shots in this section. The rear area of the cargo hold is absolutely clear and at the present time should include a variety of fish species or crustaceans as they are moving about the shipwreck. There happen to be a number of frogfish on the wreck. Smeltzer was able to photograph 5 different frogfish on his most recent dive. These fish are extremely well positioned for macro photographs and can use up a lot of bottom time, nevertheless it is definitely worth the effort. Two frogfish were on the main deck to the back of the main cabin and three were on the starboard side about the midships area. it for your next trip to Maui.

View other underwater photography images by Steven Smeltzer on his website or visit his blog or follow him on Twitter @ images2inspire. The pool is open...

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