The Caribbean island of St Kitts has a new attraction for scuba divers in the shape of a decommissioned light aircraft sunk in Potatoe Bay near its capital Basseterre.
The 20m twin-engined Piper PA-31 Navajo was one of a type of utility aircraft built for corporate and small airline use until they were discontinued in 1984.
The plane was donated by the owner of vehicle parts store and rental company Island Auto Supplies, and had previously been kept at the island’s international airport.
It was prepared for submersion, including the flushing out of all traces of fuel and oil, under the supervision of the marine resources ministry, to ensure that the wreck would conform with environmental and safety standards.
The project was organised by the St Kitts Tourism Authority in the hope that a new artificial reef would attract divers while boosting marine biodiversity in the area. The island has some five existing wreck-sites, mainly accidental sinkings.
It took about 15 minutes to sink the aircraft upright and intact near the site of the Talata, an old cargo vessel that went down in a hurricane in 1985.
The Navajo lies at a depth of 18m with its highest point at 14m, making the site accessible for entry-level scuba divers and freedivers.
Kenneth’s Dive Centre in Basseterre, one of the handful of dive-shops on St Kitts and its sister-island Nevis, conducted the sinking alongside boat-storage facility St Kitts Marine Works. St Kitts can be reached from London Gatwick via twice-weekly, direct British Airways flights.
