In 1973, former Army diver Eric Shaw began dropping donated boats off Gibraltar; over 30 vessels later, the sandy seabed had become a fish nursery

In 1973, former Army diver Eric Shaw looked at Gibraltar’s largely sandy seabed and saw an opportunity to give marine life somewhere to settle, hide and breed. His solution was unusual: use unwanted boats to build an artificial reef. What began as an experiment eventually developed into a major underwater habitat, with more than 30 vessels intentionally sunk around Gibraltar. The project is now regarded as one of Europe’s earliest artificial reef programmes.

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