Have you realized that you can encounter a lot of life on and around wrecks? I started diving because of fish. I always wanted to see and swim with fish – wrecks were not interesting for me at that time. This changed when I first dived wreck and found that there is a lot of life inside, outside, and on the wreck. The term “wreck as a shelter” describes the fact, that fish use structures, like wrecks, as shelter and feeding habitat. The provided surface area is covered by biofilm and sessile animals, which in turn provide nutrition and habitat to fish and other animals. 

The story of many wrecks is not solely the historical story of the ship, that drowned or was scuttled. It is also the story within the marine habitat that it lays: The accumulation of bacteria on the surface, algae and sponges, and the provision of shelter, habitat, and feeding ground for fish and marine mammals. Furthermore, it is the story of each dive and each diver, who visits the wreck. Wrecks provide stories in many directions and are a diving attraction in many different ways: historical, explorational, and biological. 

Cirkewwa Marine Park is one, if not the most popular dive site in Malta. It is a, almost non-stop, visited training and fun-dive spot. Next to that, Malta is affected by a high population rate, tourism and impacts of climate change. The marine areas of malta are a key component of maltese economy and cultury, but suffering degradation. These facts, put in the context of the mediterranean, which is a biodiversity hotspot giving home to 4-18 % of all identified marine species, while holding only 0,82 % of total global surface area, show that any marine environment around Malta shall be protected and conserved. As diving is a important economical sector in Malta, the study aims to find out in what way wrecks can serve conservation and how scuba diving and marine conservation can go hand in hand.