A Wreck That Wrecked to Live Some More Part #1
- Karishma Puri and Chetana B P
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 15
Shipwrecks are fascinating underwater heritage sites. Even in ruin, they carry so much history, their remains preserved in a cured salty state. Who may have built that ship, where was it going, and with what purpose? Who was the crew that sailed with it, and what led to its wreckage?
The shipwreck in the Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, stands on a sand bed in a lagoon south of Keyodhoo. It is believed to have been an Indonesian vessel discovered by two fishermen who attempted to bring it to shore. Divers from nearby islands gradually turned the sunken ship into a coral reef, introducing coral fragments and securing them to the wreck. This intervention must have brought in more marine life and with them, more divers and snorkelers. Over the years, this shipwreck has captured the imagination and hearts of visitors globally to the point where there is palpable sadness in the online community after news of torrential rains in the Maldives in January of this year. Heavy rain seems to have flipped the ship by 180 degrees along its mast, breaking some corals and taking some others out of the water entirely.
Is this a reminder that the ocean is hardly a place of permanence? In a space constantly in motion, entirely exposed to the elements, is stability merely a fleeting state? There is concern over the state of the shipwreck as its planks of wood are steadily crumbling. How long will it last? What of all the marine life that has transformed this human-made vehicle into their home? What of the coral and other sessile life that has thrived in the complex architecture that the ship provided? Perhaps those who have survived the calamity will all have to start again; investigating, assessing and readjusting to the conditions of the shipwreck in its new configuration.
When we got to the wreck in March of 2025, it had been ten years since the ship was first wrecked and three months since the storm that further wrecked the wreck. Our first thoughts? We would never have known that the shipwreck had moved and that marine lives had been recently affected. Everything about the shipwreck was immediately and beautifully overwhelming. The azure blue water that cradled this large wooden monument, the streaks of moving colour surrounding the wreck, probably large schools of fish. And then this powerful feeling that can only be described as an invitation from the sea, to dive in and explore this piece of living history for ourselves.
Next in this series:
About the Authors
Karishma is a photographer whose work is based on the stories of people, action, and community. Right now, she’s chasing stories underwater—capturing marine life and the ways we live, work, and play in the sea.
Chetana is a wildlife biologist, ocean explorer and educator. Dogs love her almost as much as she loves them.
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