Perched atop the Kodiak Queen, a former WW2-era Navy fuel barge, this 80-foot ‘Kraken’ now serves as the base of an artificial reef and marine research station on the ocean floor near the British Virgin Islands. The project, entitled BVI Art Reef, accomplishes a range of goals all at once: saving a decorated ship from destruction, transplanting coral to a new site in the hopes that it will flourish, creating an epic dive site and underwater art gallery, and providing a new habitat for marine life.

Photographer Owen Buggy documented the process, from the early stages of building the massive sea monster to sinking it in April 2017 to checking out the results a few months later. Sunken off the coast of the island Virgin Gorda with the help of tugboats and helicopters, the installation is already helping to rehabilitate heavily over-fished marine populations. Filmmaker Rob Sorrenti also got some great footage, presented as a documentary entitled ‘The Kodiak Queen,’ which is due for release in early 2018.

“This is the story of learning from past lessons and coming together to create something greater; rooted in joy and fueled by the power of play,” reads the BVI website. “This is the story of a group of friends from around the world who fell in love with the BVIs… and turned a weapon of war into a platform for unity – and a catalyst for new growth. This charitable kick-off in the British Virgin Islands combine art, ocean conservation, world history, marine science and economy… to solve a series of challenges in the BVIs by asking: how can we use play and collaboration to install permanent solutions that boost the local economy, secure the prosperity of these pristine islands for generations to come?”

“Our solution: a fantasy art eco-dive and ocean conservation site that puts the BVIs on the map as having one of the most unique and meaningful dive sites in the world… and one of the most forward-thinking approaches to creative problem solving that secures the education of its youth, and the health and prosperity of this island nation.”

Get updates on the project at the BVI Art Reef Facebook page.

Rapidly warming oceans have led to an explosion of jellyfish numbers in seas around the world – allow that fact to float around your brain for a bit as you stare at translucent invertebrates illuminated within your very own desktop jellyfish aquarium. Would owning such a thing offer comfort and entertainment, or just be a sad reminder that humans have really mucked things up on our home planet? Now’s your chance to find out.

The JellyTank is a compact 5-gallon aquarium with a modern design and color-changing, remote-controlled LED lights. This ‘flow bar design’ with laminar pump-driven water creates an environment similar to what jellyfish would experience in the wild, and there’s a built-in mechanical and biological filtration system. The tank is made of high-grade aquarium acrylic, and its housing is available in black or white.

The creators came up with the idea after purchasing a $400 jellyfish tank for their office, and finding that the grates kept sucking up the jellyfish and killing them. They wanted to create a ‘sustainable’ tank that comes pre-assembled for the least amount of fuss. Everything you need to set it up is included, except for the moon jellyfish, which are purchased separately through the JellyTank website.

“JellyTank is currently working on developing an aquaculture facility to grow Jellyfish for our customers,” reads their Kickstarter. “We are speaking with industry experts and marine biologists from across the nation to develop the best protocols and standards of practice to ensure we deliver the healthiest sustainable source of jellyfish available in the world today. our proposed aquaculture program will be overseen, staffed and managed by leading jellyfish aquaculture specialists.”

This living reminder of the ravages of human-induced climate change can be yours with a pledge of $175 or more at the JellyTank Kickstarter. The creators aren’t allowed to include live jellyfish with their rewards, so they have to be claimed separately when the kits are ready to ship. People are clearly excited about the project, having raised almost twice the fundraiser’s goal with 16 days to go. It remains to be seen whether flushing dead jellyfish down the toilet is as depressing as doing so for your late pet goldfish.

(images via: divenorway, hyperfish, vigidal and sanjuan)

Like trains, ships once played a much larger part in the worldwide economy than they do now.  Their reach has been significantly reduced with the advent of quicker and more efficient modes of transport.  As a result, there are amazing shipwrecks and abandoned ships, boats and docks and other vehicles around the world, along with the shipyards where they were stored and the boat docks where they once loaded and unloaded.

(images via: Container Shipping, Ben Cooper and Michael Alan)

Because of the vast numbers of ships and boats that were abandoned in the late 19th century, many were repurposed into shops, homes, and restaurants.  Some were dismantled and the wood was used for other construction purposes.  But many simply rotted and rusted away, and some are still floating in harbors, ship yards and boat graveyards, waiting for their eventual fate.

(images via: Opacity)

The Staten Island Boat Graveyard is well-known to almost every kid who grew up in the area.  Many old boats, ships and other less-than-seaworthy vessels have come here to die.  They are used for scrap, sunken into the water, or simply left to decay and sink on their own.  The Boat Graveyard has become a popular visiting spot for photographers and boat enthusiasts.  Photographers delight in the unique shots and boat enthusiasts love seeing these relics up close.

(images via: SF Genealogy, Kumasawa and Ariel)

One of the most bizarre instances of boat abandonment is that of the city of San Francisco.  During the late 19th century, the Gold Rush brought untold numbers of people to California.  Because many of them arrived by boat, Yerba Buena Cove was clogged with vessels.  While the boats’ owners left to seek their fortunes in the hills, the boats themselves were forgotten – often still containing belongings and supplies.  The city expanded rapidly, eventually encompassing Yerba Buena Cove.  Buildings were built further and further out, and over time Yerba Buena Cove was ordered to be filled in with sand.  The hulking masses of ships that remained were often incorporated into new buildings, but many were simply built over.  Over the last hundred plus years, construction and natural disasters have revealed these buried boats beneath the city.

(images via: Forgotten NY)

Continuing a long tradition of sea-related legends, NYC residents often spoke of the Yellow Submarine of Coney Island.  The story sounds like an urban legend: an ordinary man set out on a wacky quest to retrieve the riches of a famous shipwreck, the Andrea Doria, and built a homemade submarine to do it.  But this was no urban legend.  The Andrea Doria went down in 1956, laden with materials that could be sold for millions of dollars.  Ship fitter Jerry Bianco decided to go after them and raise the old ship to the surface.  He sold stock in his newly-formed corporation to raise money for the expedition.  With these funds, he built his own submarine (yellow, because the paint was cheap) and prepared to launch it in 1970.  Unfortunately, the sub never fulfilled its destiny; it failed to launch and Bianco’s supporters lost interest.  In 1981, it got loose and drifted away.  While it was assumed to be an urban legend for quite a while, some brave boat explorers have found and examined the Yellow Submarine of Coney Island Creek.

(images via: Magic River WV)

The locations associated with commercial boats have suffered with the decrease of water transport’s popularity.  The coal industry once relied heavily on boats to take the cargo to where it needed to be.  But when trains were found to be cheaper, faster, and more versatile, the boats that carried the coal and the docks and machinery used to load them fell into disuse.  These pictures from the Monongahela River between West Virginia and Pittsburgh show some of the mammoth relics that still dot the landscape of coal country.

(images via: Infiltration)

Even when you’re lucky enough to see a historical abandoned boat or ship, it’s almost never possible (or advisable) to explore inside. The crew of urban exploration zine Infiltration did just that near Lake Ontario. La Grande Hermine, the large wooden ship resting in an artificial cove, proved to be too tempting to resist, so they paddled out to it and hopped aboard. These pictures show an interior that is beautiful, if only a little spooky.