Environmental Page

Atlantis Waikiki Reef

• Natural coral formations
• Concrete "pyramid" structures
• Japanese-designed artificial reefs
• Remains of two sunken airliners
• Remains of two shipwrecks, the U.S. Navy tanker ship YO-257 and the Korean fishing boat, St. Pedro

Pyramids:

The installation of these artificial reefs was coordinated through the University of Hawaii Sea Grant program and funded by Atlantis Submarines. They were sunk in June of 1989.

These experimental pyramids are prototype artificial reefs. University of Hawaii professors and students monitor these reefs through their own on-site research. The reefs provide opportunities for valuable research to scientists and students. In fact, since the United States Congress passed a law in 1984 that provided government regulation of artificial reefs, reefs exactly impact marine life.

Each pyramid reef is an assembly of individual modules, 4 foot by 8 foot concrete slabs reinforced with synthetic rope. They are attached to the slabs above and below by four tubes of PVC plastic pipe filled with concrete. Each structure weighs approximately 27 tons.

This artificial reef design provides small spacing at the bottom to provide shelter for the juvenile fishes and larger spacing at the top to provide habitat for the larger fishes.

Before we placed these artificial reefs here there was virtually no sea life. Today, the area is thriving with several different species.

Japanese Reefs:

These 4 structures were sunk in 1990. Designed by the Asahi company in Osaka, Japan. Used in the waters around Japan to attract fish, enhancing the commercial fisheries of Japan, and to grow edible sea weed. Our reefs are constructed of spun fiberglass and concrete and are one quarter the size of the commercial reefs in Japan, each one of ours weighs approximately 25 tons.

Air Planes:

Sunk: April 1991 in 60' of water (Where Pilings are today). First plane broke into three parts after having the crane stop during the drop to let the plane settle and swell lifted the barge and the lift cables cut threw the hull. The second plane was successfully lowered intact. American Divers was the company contracted by Atlantis to set the planes. Originally secured in the area where the piles are now (the piles were used to secure the planes to the bottom.) Hurricane Iniki on September 11, 1992 moved the planes across the dive site and deposited the Diamond Head wing in its current location and the other one in the middle of the Mids. The wing that was in the Mids was moved by tug and lift bags to its present location.

A company called Mid Pacific Air that went bankrupt after they lost their exclusive route between Honolulu and Johnson Atoll to Aloha Airlines operated the planes. The planes are Mitsubishi YS-11's Japan's first effort in commercial aircraft design. Powered by two Roll's Royce turbo-prop engines. The planes carried 60 passengers and 4 crew. They had a wing span of 105' and a length of 86'.

St. Pedro:

Pedro is approximately 111' in length and 30' wide. Built in Japan and operated by a Korean fishing company. Age is not known. There is much argument about whether the name should be pronounced Saint or San. Many argue that the name should be San due to Pedro being a Spanish name and that would be proper Spanish. Others argue whether that has any bearing since Pedro was not owned by Spanish speakers and Asian translations into English are often creative. However, the name on the stern was St. Pedro #36.

From Mike Doyle, ABS surveyor:

Ship was carrying cargo to be delivered to the fishing fleet in the Pacific, included was bait and foodstuff. In 1975 the ship caught fire off of South Point on the Big Island. All extinguishers were used and then the crew started to use the cargo to attempt to put out the fire. The soy sauce was used on the fire to the detriment of the crew. The fire was eventually put out but with extensive damage to the ship. The ship was towed by the USCG to Kawaihae on the Big Island. After a few days of no refrigeration; the bait and burnt soy sauce began to stink and the people of the area began to call the St. Pedro the "Teriyaki Boat". The boat was bought off of the insurance company by a gentleman of the name of Matt Andrade with intentions of turning her into an inter-island freighter in the south Pacific and had the boat towed to Keehi Lagoon where it stayed for the next two decades. It eventually sank in about 10' of water.

In 1993 State boating workers discovered an incredible mess. The deck was littered with hundreds of containers leaking toxic material. The state began clean up on the boat shortly there after with funding from the EPA "Super Fund" clean up money to handle the toxic material. The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers assisted the state when it cleaned the St. Pedro of fuel oil, refrigerants, insulation foam and asbestos, flushed the engine and filled 21 roll-off containers with junk. The state intended to tow the derelict 12 miles out to sea and sink it until Atlantis Submarines stepped in to pay for the increased expense of meeting strict EPA, Coast Guard and state health department standards for sinking the ship in shallow water. Atlantis also reimbursed the state Boating and Recreation Divisions for money it had spent to clean up the ship. Atlantis acquired the ship from the Department of Land and Natural Resources on 12/21/95. The ship was sunk on January 11th 1996. Atlantis spent $360,000 on the project.