Mombasa wrecks......
MV Dania a new habitat.
On Sunday 27th October 2002 MV Dania went on her last voyage leaving Mombasa harbour early in the morning. A few hours later she sank only 50 m outside the reef off Bamburi Beach. However, it was not an accident but a purposeful exercise initiated and organised by Buccaneer Wrecks and Buccaner Diving and carefully monitored. Now Dania is sitting on a sand patch in 30 m of water in a north/south line. A wreck is an attractive and fascinating diving place and Dania, having sunk only recently, does not yet bear many of the dangers divers can encounter on older wrecks. The ways in and out of the cabins and hull that wait for exploring are marked for the divers safety. But this does not take the fun and adventure away. It is exciting to swim around the wreck along the bottom and look up to her enormous size. The open hatches and doors rouse a divers curiosity and invite them to explore the dark places. But besides being an exciting and fascinating diving site MV Dania will play a role in the marine ecosystem. Sank in the marine park and close to the natural coral reef of the Kenyan coast, the wreck can serve as a new habitat for marine life. Due to the El Niño effect coral reefs along the Kenyan coast suffered severe bleaching and mortality of corals in 1998 (OBURA et al. 2000) As coral reefs are food, shelter and a base for many marine animals from small nudibranches to fish, they play a key role in the marine ecosystem. Therefore the 60% to 80% loss of corals observed in 1998 (OBURA et al. 2000) in the reef has also a negative effect on other marine life. Coral and reef recovery is a slow process, with corals growing only 0.5 - 7 cm per year depending on the species. A wreck such as MV Dania in the vicinity of the coral reef presents an additional area on which corals and other sessile animals and plants such as sponges and algae can settle and therefore may help the coral reef ecosystem. Furthermore Dania's sinking only a few months ago is a unique opportunity to study the colonisation right from the beginning and might give answers which help to understand better marine ecosystems.
Soon after MV Dania has settled on the ground, divers from Buccaneer Diving discovered a variety of fish species and other marine animals. Besides several groupers (Fam. Serranidae), Jacks (Carangidae) and glassfish , lobsters, an octopus and starfish could be observed in and around the wreck. An impressive lionfish (Pterois sp.) moved into the wreck. The large feather-like dorsal and pectoral fins gives the lionfish a somehow bizarre-look. Lionfish belong to the scorpionfishes (Scorpaenidae), a family that includes several specious with venemous fin spines, which can cause severe pain when touched. Lionfish are widely distributed in the Indian Ocean. During the day they are mostly inactive preferring to hunt for crustaceans, ist primarily food at night. Dania with the many dark cabins and corners is an ideal hiding place for the lionfish during the day and sometimes divers find the fish in the corner of one of the former accomodations. A school of up to ten cornetfish, also called smooth flutefish Fistularia commersonii could be seen hovering almost motionlessly over the deck. Cornetfish, which are common throughout the Indo-Pacific can occur from 1 to 120 m depth. They have an extremely long body and a long tubular snout, with which they suck in small fish and crustaceans. When I went back to the wreck in March the cornetfish could not be seen. Instead we saw a large malabar grouper Epinephelus malabaricus swimming over the deck. This up to 120 cm and almost 150kg big fish feeds primarily on smaller fishes and crustaceans and occasionally on cephalopods.
Another large member of this family has even made the accommodation area to his home. Being territorial the fish followed the divers around while they were swimming inside the wreck, making sure that this strange looking "animals" will leave his area again and giving the divers the opportunity to very close encounters. Soon after Dania has settled swarms of tiny jungfish e.g. from barracuda (Sphyraena spec.) could be observed. A sign that the juveniles of these fish have accepted the wreck as a nursery ground. On the 16th March we found a small fan tube worm (Family Sabellidae) in front of the entrance to the upper cattle deck. The colourful tentacles being used to catch plankton are the most conspicuous part of the worm who lives in a soft tube. As the slightest disturbance the tentacles are retracted in the tube and the worm disappears in front of your eyes. Every dive to the wreck leads to new discoveries. The colonisation of Dania is in full process and the composition of fish and marine life is still changing. It is fascinating to observe the different species that come and settle, breed or stay only for a short while, until they are replaced by other species.
We want to collect as much data and information on what is happening at the wreck as possible. If you want to help us and make your dive at Dania even more interesting please ask for a form and write down, what you have seen or send us photos of any interesting encounter. We really appreciate your assistance and hope you enjoy being part in the discovery of a new marine habitat.
Reference Obura, D. (2000): East Africa - Summary in Souter,D., Obura,D.& Linden, O.: Coral reef degradation in the Indian Ocean Status Report 2000.
Compiled by Dr. Marion Teichmann, with assistance from the Buccaneer Diving Team
Click here for a map of diving the Dania
Globe Star.The remains of a grain carrying cargo ship that hit a sand bank in the early seventies, the globe star is probably
Mombasa's best wreck dive. Although most of the superstructure has been salvaged, below the waterline one can still see the engine block, masts, the lower deck and the propeller. This area also teems with Moray eels, lionfish, Parrot fish and
Pelagics.
Depth: 7-10 metres.
Rating: All divers.
