BURGAS, Bulgaria – A unique underwater attraction is beginning to take shape near the island of St. Anastasia in Burgas Bay, as the non-profit association “Friends of the Sea – Burgas” officially launched its ambitious project to create an artificial reef and diving park.
Named the Underwater Park “St. Anastasia”, the initiative is the first of its kind in the region and aims to boost marine biodiversity while attracting diving tourism to the Southern Black Sea Coast.
The project is being realized with the support of the Municipality of Burgas, the diving company “Dive Tech”, Burgas Shipyards, the Maritime Administration, the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water, the Fire Protection Service, the Ministry of Defense, and the National Security Service. Member of Parliament and engineer Petar Kanev has also personally backed the initiative.
On Sunday, the first two exhibits of the park—a GAZ-13 “Chaika” limousine and a military-grade radio relay station mounted on a ZIL-157 truck chassis—were carefully sunk to the seabed by volunteers using the floating crane “Antey”.
The vehicles now rest at a depth of approximately 15 meters, close to an underwater chapel and a statue of St. Anastasia that were previously submerged by Dive Tech in 2023.
According to organizers, the purpose of sinking the vehicles is twofold: to encourage the development of a new marine ecosystem and to create an engaging site for recreational divers.
The metal hulls, which have been fully cleaned of fuel and lubricants and secured to concrete structures on the seabed, are expected to soon be colonized by algae, mollusks, and various species of fish and invertebrates.
“The area around the underwater chapel has already shown remarkable transformation,” a representative of Friends of the Sea – Burgas said. “What used to be a lifeless sandy bottom is now teeming with fish, crabs, and even seahorses. We expect similar results with the new additions.”
The practice of creating artificial reefs by submerging safe, cleaned structures is widely used around the world to revitalize marine habitats.
In Bulgaria, until recently, the only similar project was the deliberate sinking of the ship “Pioneer” near Sozopol’s St. Ivan Island in 2008, which has since become a popular destination for underwater photography and exploration.
The site of the Underwater Park is now marked on the newly developed diving map of the Southern Black Sea Coast, published by the association.
A surface marker buoy indicates the location, and divers are cautioning fishermen and boaters not to tie up to it or drop anchors in the vicinity, which could damage the submerged installations.
The official opening of the Underwater Park “St. Anastasia” is scheduled for June 14, 2025. The launch will coincide with the association’s traditional annual seabed cleaning event, during which additional structures are expected to be submerged to expand the artificial reef.
With its blend of environmental stewardship and adventurous tourism, the underwater park represents a new chapter in Burgas’s efforts to protect and promote its maritime heritage.