This video is from two dive surveys conducted in November 2018 and again in September 2021. The primary goal of the dive was to explore the south side of the site down to a depth of 180ft/55m and document the deeper part of the sponge garden.
As we left the bottom of the sponge garden our plan was to head north and ascend up the east wall ending up in the sponge reef at 120ft/37m for a second quick survey as we hadn't been back to check out the reef in about 12 months.
When we arrived at the our target depth of 120ft/36m, I signaled to one of my other team members "the reef is right over there" pointing to the north of us. He nods his head and we move slowly north, but we're confused as we can't find it.
I move north slowly looking for landmark that will give me some sort of idea where we are. I then spot the temperature logger that should be about a 1/3 of the way into the reef. There are only 4 sponges around the logger! The rest of the reef is gone, nothing but a graded flat silty bottom remains.
I am in shock. There are but a couple of Rockfish moving through the 4 sponges that are left. The large school of fish that have called the reef home for many years are now displaced. It was one of the darkest and deflating moments I've had underwater realizing it's gone and it won't recover in our lifetime. It's gone.