Carthaginian Ii Scuba Diving

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. The Carthaginian II, once utilized as a whaling museum, is a copy of a 19th century brig analogous to the ships which originally brought commerce to the Hawaiian Islands. The ship was a cement carrier constructed in Germany in 1920 and rechristened 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 that operated the museum on board which displayed relics of Lahaina's historic whaling days.

Atlantis spent roughly $350,000 on the Carthaginian shipwreck project, including preparation of environmental studies. American Marine Services was hired to handle the reefing 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 arrange for the sinking, 10 tons of concrete had been loaded on board, adding to the 35 tons of material the vessel already was carrying. Atlantis' small tugboat Roxie pulled the Carthaginian II out of the harbor before transferring the operation to the larger American Islander tugboat.

A fleet of roughly 20 boats was waiting when the Carthaginian II arrived at Puamana, and spectators lined the beach or pulled over on the Honoapi'ilani Highway to watch the spectacle. Kahu Charles Kaupu supplied a Hawaiian blessing, and after a 3-ton anchor was secured to the bow and the ship was in position, patches were removed from two sets of holes that had been cut into the hull about 18 inches above the water line. Seawater was pumped into the hull, and twenty seven minutes later the Carthaginian was headed to the sandy bottom and a new wreck was born. Observers let loose with applause and whoops of appreciation as the vessel quietly slipped beneath the surface. Aboard the Atlantis shuttle boat three air-shattering blasts were fired from miniature brass cannon to mark the occasion.

Overview of the Dive

The ship was sunk around seven years back and now supports a wide assortment of marine life. As soon as you start to descend from the mooring ball you will usually be able to make out the outline of the wreck quite easily. The visibility at this dive site is regularly 80+ feet and much of the time over 100+ feet. The shipwreck rests in approximately 90 ft of water off the coast of Lahina and is a great place for underwater photography.

There can be some current on the site so some scuba divers might want to descend using the mooring line. As you descend you will begin to notice more details regarding the ship along with the impacts of being upon the reef for roughly 7 years. The main mast fell in mid-summer 2011 and can at this time be viewed resting on the main deck. The main cabin roof and walls have begun to decay to a certain degree and there are several holes into the cargo hold. The entrance to the cargo hold itself is very large and easily manageable. The engine room and forward compartment is blocked by means of a gate but you will still get a decent mix of photographs from this section. The rear section of the cargo hold is fairly clear and at the present time will contain a variety of fish species or crustaceans as they are moving around the shipwreck. There are a number of frogfish on the wreck. Smeltzer was able to photograph five different frogfish on his last dive. These fish are particularly well placed for macro photography and can use up a lot of bottom time, however it is definitely worth the effort. Two frogfish were on the main deck to the back of the main cabin and 3 were on the starboard side about the midships area.

This shipwreck dive site is best while there are fewer than 10 divers in the water since the vessel itself is not very large. While scuba diving on the ship, you should also come across a wide variety of fish including, Pacific Trumpetfish, Sergeant Majors, Dascyllus, Orangespine Unicornfish, Rainbow Cleaner Wrasse, and much more. It is a worthwhile dive and is highly recommended for your next visit 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...