The members of the foundation Black Sea Technical Diving / BSTD/ among which is the team of Deep Dive Systems, created the first artificial reef in the waters of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. In 2008, they carried out a controlled sinking of the 100-tonne fishing vessel “Pioneer” near the island of St. Ivan.
For eight years now, the reef has been attracting scuba divers, snorkelers and fishermen. It is a wonderful tourist attraction for its rich marine flora and fauna as well as being an excellent shelter for marine life.
The submerged hull of the ship “Pioneer” is used for training divers –Bulgarian marines, civil defense officers, policemen and members of civilian scuba diving schools.
A few facts about the history of the project: the 45-year-old fishing seiner “Pioneer” had already been prepared by its owners (a private company) to be sold for scrap.
Then it occurred to the members of BSTD Mihail Zaimov, Vladimir YAVACHEV and Rosen JELIAZKOV that the hull might be sunk to create an artificial reef offering entertainment and attraction for underwater tours. So, they purchased the ship and implemented the ambitious and pioneering for Bulgaria project.
