Broken corals in path of Yellow Submarine

BROKEN pieces of corals, some as large as 12 to 24 inches, were noticed  yesterday in the Kontiki Drop by a group of local divers who traced the spot  where the Cebu Yellow Submarine cruised last month.

The group went underwater to a depth of 20 meters based on directions by Japanese diver Toyoda Sitoshi, who took the controversial video of the submarine that appeared to hit a coral reef  last April 18.

The team led by Andy Berame, head of Task Force Kalikasan, representing the Lapu-Lapu city government, made the inventory in two dives yesterday accompanied by Cebu Daily News correspondent Norman Mendoza and The Freeman photojournalist Ferdinand Edralin.

Berame said the cuts and broken portions seen in the coral wall were “fresh” and were clearly the result of  a “rigid force” and not just the impact of a boat’s metal anchor or the kicking motion of a diver.

A radius of 3 to 4 meters was affected, he said, indicating contact with a large object.

Some debris of broken table corals fell to the bottom of the sea another five meters deep, he said.

Berame said he would present his findings to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza and let city officials decide the next step.

The first dive in the morning lasted 45 minutes.

Later at 3 p.m., the group made a second dive to check the hull of the tourist submarine docked at the Imperial Palace Resort and Spa.

Berame said they say “big scratches” in the safety bars at the front of the submarine, raising the possibility that the vessel hit something.

The Kontiki Drop, a popular dive spot,  is close enough to the shore in barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City  for divers to walk in the water until they were  neck deep and then swim a distance to dive 20 meters below.

They soon noticed cracks in the corals and signs of coral debris that fell off the lower layers of the wall.

They noticed broken table corals and other coral species that were crushed at lower levels.

The sea current was strong, forcing divers to make an extra effort to swim back to shore./Correspondent Norman Mendoza