A new lease on life
Sheltered in a quiet inlet, resting in less than 50 feet of water, the Kasi Marus has undergone an extraordinary transformation.
These waters are teeming with microscopic creatures. But water is a world in motion. And what these creatures need is a firm-fixed base, on which they can anchor and grow. The sudden arrival of the Kasi Marus was a stroke of luck. The battered hole proved to be exactly what these creatures were after. From the moment the ship sank, she became the scene of a second battle, bombarded by all sorts of marine life, fighting to gain a foothold. Among the first to colonize the stark scaffolding of the Kasi Marus, were the hard corals. They began to build, and it’s the corals that are the architects of this new world. Their designs come in all shapes and sizes.
Branching corals grow quickly in the warm calm waters. Plate corals grow more slowly, but their unhurried advance pays off. Eventually their flat expanses block light from reaching species underneath, stifling the competition. Massive brain corals, the slowest growing of all, are also the toughest. They’re built to withstand rough storms at sea, but here, shielded from the violence of the waves, they flourish side by side with more delicate cousins. In the benevolent conditions of the cove, the corals on this wreck grow in fantastic diversity, numbering well over 100. |
