Sunken ship could provide new diving destination

(Courtesy: DiverCity) A new artificial reef could draw an estimated 6,000 scuba divers per year to the Gananoque area, supporters of the project say.

The plan is to sink a decommissioned Canadian destroyer, the 372-foot HMCS Terra Nova in 130 feet of water.

The $2 million project is being advanced by the non-profit Eastern Ontario Artificial Reef Association, according to The Brockville Recorder and Times.

It has the support of numerous local officials but still needs to clear a number of regulatory hurdles.

One of the supporters is Brian Taylor, of the Kingston-based DiverCity, a dive charter business.

"It would be an amazing opportunity," Taylor said. "All of the other places that have sunk any of these artificial reefs have had several years of business and spin off economic advantages for all the cities and towns around for both sides of the border."

Another benefit, he said, is that it would divert some of the diving traffic from the fragile, 100 year old heritage wrecks in the Kingston and Thousand Islands region.

The Terra Nova was built in 1956 as an anti-submarine destroyer.

If all goes according to plan, the artificial reef could be in place by next September, organizers believe.

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