The Project

 

Firstly we hope to answer one of the main points that is made to us.  

The wreck is made of metal and is in the sea.... its going to deteriorate!

 The answer of course to this is yes, sadly we cannot stop what nature

does, however the misuse of mooring and dive behaviour has rapidly

increased the deterioration and destruction of the wreck at an alarming

rate.  If left with no contact there is no reason why this wreck cannot

remain for another 75 years!

 

The primary goal of this project is to get a suitable mooring system put into place around the Thistlegorm allowing boats of all sizes used for diving to moor safely without compromising the divers experience and importantly not attached to the wreck itself.  Once this system has been found and a costs are worked out we will be doing another of fundraising projects to help raise money to get them implemented.  Once the moorings are in place then donations will go towards the maintenance of the moorings.   If you work for a dive brand and would be interested in sponsoring a buoy which would display your brand name then please contact us using the form on the contact us page.

 

We are in talks with companies specialising in mooring systems including some already used in the pacific for dive sites, with their knowledge and expertise as well as feedback from other sites we hope to get this put into action as soon as possible.  Despite the urgency of getting a suitable system into place, we are also aware of previous attempts at mooring systems which where unsuccessful due to a number of factors, a key to the success of this project is not to make rushed and ill-informed decisions that wont be suitable for the specific situation we have.

 

Another angle linked with the mooring of boats is raising awareness and education,  we are producing a number of short films and information sheets highlighting the damage being caused and better methods of mooring in the time between now and getting the mooring systems in place.  This includes dive instructor awareness of their clients primarily to ensure that they treat the wreck with respect by avoiding contact as much as possible and to treat it like all dive sites in the red sea and that is to look and don't touch.

 

It is through this education that we hope we can slow the deterioration of the wreck until the mooring system put into place.