Reef Dive Video Update – August 2011

Divers Don Don and Thad took a dive down to the Playa Hermosa Artificial Reef Project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.  The fish and marine life are abounding. Also, The new steel reinforced condo design seems to be the ideal choice for underwater building. Our old structures are much more susceptible to being knocked over by fisherman’s anchors. The new prototype hasn’t moved or shifted since it was installed. The reef project is as beautiful as ever!

March 2011 – An Amazing Month For the Project

This March has been absolutely amazing.  The structures and surrounding seafloor have been amassing biological value by the month.  Sightings of Lobsters, crabs, octopus, conch shells, southern sting rays, and more and more varieties fish have become commonplace.  We hope that local dive shops will begin viewing Condofish as more than a project, but as an attraction as well.

Marine biologist from the University in San Jose have now taken an interest and offered their help.(which we will expound on in a following post) The Costa Rica fishing authority have also given us good news and authorized us to expand greatly.  In addition, the Condofish team just placed their first new steel reinforced structure on the seafloor.  Anchors and fishing nets dropped by fishermen who ignore the government sanctioned buoys will no longer be an issue. Whoo Hoo!

Here are some pictures from the last dive.

New reef Design with submarine lifting and lowering device sitting in the center.

Stay tuned for an informative video

New Life in The Reef 2011

With the addition of the chunk of the Pekin Star shipwreck and over 9 months of growth on the calcium rich concrete blocks, the Playa Hermosa Artificial Reef Project is teeming with life.  We’ve been spotting numerous rays, eels, crabs, conch, oysters, and multitude of different varieties of tropical fish all around and in the structures.   Each block structure is covered with calcium based organisms and plants.  It seems that one day it become a solid living entity.  Rene even spotted a lobster underneath the shipwreck, meanwhile I had a baby octopus latching onto my hand while working on one of the condos.  It’s been quite a fun last few weeks.

See the photos below to get an idea of all the fun we have at the reef project.  Visibility was not very good this day but we still managed to get some good pictures.

Shipwreck Marked and Area Cleaned

In regards to the burned out shrimp boat wrecked on the shore of Playa Hermosa, the community, Playa Hermosa Association and the CondoFish Team got together at Aquasport to find a solution on moving the wreck and cleaning up the beach.  The first step was cleaning up the trash, ship fragments and barrels left over from the owner.  Then buoys were placed around the wreck to mark it in an effort to keep swimmers and boats away from the dangerous area.

This past last Friday a motivated group of community volunteers made sure the work was done.   Great job community!

Currently there are 2 solutions for the next step in removal:

1. Wait on an answer from the Costa Rican Coast Guard in regards to large craft to drag the wreck out 50-100 meters.

2. Use a large excavator to break up and pull out the wreck from the beach.

We’re awaiting answers and CondoFish is ready and willing to help out with any underwater connection tasks involved with helping move this wreck.

Shipwreck’s Final Days

After long days with numerous hours underwater, using personal gear, funding from the Playa Hermosa Association, aid from the municipality and from our own pockets, the Shipwreck operation is at a standstill.

Two weeks ago the CondoFish team did successfully move a large section of the wreck (roughly the size of a panga) from the sea floors and sink it on the reef project site.  This is a success and will serve as a another structure for the fish at the Artificial Reef site to live and feed on.  More about the successful 1st phase of the project can be read about here. Nature Air’s Blog About the Shipwreck

The 2nd larger section of the boat required more materials, a larger tow boat, more time and more funding.  Currently the municipality (who originally requested us to do the work) is not interested in putting any more time or funding into the project.  The CondoFish team had no issue completing the task without payment but the team cannot continue to spend our personal funds and time without the support of the municipality or the support of the owners of the boat.  Also, dive shops in the area were generously donating 10-15 air tanks at a time in high season without compensation.

We will now go and retrieve the barrels still attached to the wreck and leave it in the hands of the municipality and the owners of the boat(with whom the responsibility lay).  There is a possibility that a large tuna boat in the area could come and help remove it from the shoreline.  We will be happy to aid in the process.

We’re looking forward to getting back to work on the reef project.

Shipwreck Recovery Work Schedule and Sunday’s Party!

Friday afternoon at 2pm (Today), the CondoFish team will begin attaching the hard-wear and ropes to the wreck so that the 20-30 55 gallon drums can be attached.  If all goes according to plan, all of the barrels should be attached and resting underwater by the end of Saturday.

Shipwreck Party

Sunday afternoon we should have the barrels filled with air and the wreck afloat by 3pm.    Upon towing to the Artificial reef site and re sinking, we hope to be back at AquaSport enjoying casados and cervezas by 4-4:30pm.

There will be T-shirts for sale and bonfire on the beach in celebration.

Pura Vida!

 

Phase 1 Shipwreck Recovery – Success

This Saturday, November 20th, the first phase of the 70 foot shipwreck recovery in Playa Hermosa was completed.  After 3 hours of difficult underwater work, in low visibility and turbulent conditions, the wreck piece surfaced.  This first part of the boat wreck needed nine air filled 55 gallons barrels to float.  The CondoFish team used 14 air tanks for SCUBA diving and filling the sunken barrels with air.   Shortly after, the team and the floating piece was towed across Hermosa bay and re-sunk at Condofish where it now serves as a new fish apartment building.   For more about this recovery operation, see  Shipwreck in Hermosa Bay

Thank you Diving Safaris for the technical help, people, diving gear and providing the 14 air tanks.

Also a special thanks to Aqua Sport for giving us an excellent headquarters and serving tasty casados.

Now for Phase 2!  This week we will  begin prepping the larger section of the wreck for flotation and movement.

See the Gallery Below

Condofish Thanks Greg Vernice & the Flotsam Project

Condofish thanks Greg Vernice for generously donating a percentage of each artwork sale to Condofish.

This piece was recently sold, and a % of the proceeds went to Condofish

Vernice uses his creativity and talent to give back to Condofish – and to the ocean, from which he finds inspiration (and his art supplies!).  You can learn more about the Flotsam project here: http://flotsamlog.blogspot.com/ Without enthusiastic support and donations like these, Condofish would not exist as it does today.

Thanks, Greg!!

New Buoys Built and Installed at Condofish

To avoid any future issues concerning anchors, fishing, or diver safety the CondoFish team has built buoys to mark off the areas affecting the project.   A week ago Rene and the COFI crew constructed and installed 3 buoys that are painted white, with red signs stating “DO NOT ANCHOR” , Dive Flags, and third red indicator asking boats not to stay in the area due to the experimental and protected  nature of the CondoFish Project.  A contact number for the Playa Hermosa Artificial Reef Project was also placed on the buoys in case they get free or anyone needs to make contact.

COFI Engineering Dept. hard at work

A true artist

Putting the Buoy in the test pool

Rene loves his work!

Playa Hermosa Artificial Reef Project

Guanacaste

Costa Rica

Life in the Benthic Zone

Today, Condofish committee member Renee Desaulniers dove Condofish with his nieces, Tiffanie and Naomie, and his brother Mario.

It was the Canadian family’s first open water submersion after completing the confined water portion of the PADI Discovery course with Summer Salt Dive Center in Playa Hermosa.

On the way down, an interesting yellow fish with black stripes – about the size of a pencil eraser – followed Christian and Genna at the surface. It weaved in and out of their fields of vision, just a few millimeters from their masks.

Meanwhile Christian, Renee and Elise dropped cinderblocks and various other materials needed to complete various tasks on the mini reef, a construction designed to connect the coastline with the Condofish Artificial Reef Project.

Back on land, the Condofish committee received an email from a scientist in Marseille, France (if you speak French, you can check it out here – if not, check out Google Translate).  The letter applauded Hermosa’s artificial reef as great news for the area’s benthic zone, or the sea floor. Benthos (animals living in this zone) directly benefiting from a healthy seafloor include starfish, sea slugs, sea anemones, and not to mention all of the creatures higher up on the food chain.

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