Coming up next on Jonathan Bird's Blue World, shipwrecks that are turning into coral reefs.
接下来请收看乔纳森·伯德的《蓝色世界》,探访正在变成珊瑚礁的沉船。
Hi I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!
嗨,我是乔纳森·伯德,欢迎来到我的世界!
In shallow tropical oceans, coral reefs provide habitat and protection for thousands of species of marine animals, especially fish.
在热带浅海地区,珊瑚礁为数千种海洋动物,特别是鱼类提供保护和栖息之地。
In places where the sea floor is too sandy to give coral a place to grab on and grow, there is very little fish life because there is very little protection from predators.
在海底多沙地区,珊瑚无法附着和生长的地方,鱼类非常少,因为这里没有地方能保护它们躲避捕食者。
For years, fishermen have known however that a shipwreck out in the middle of a flat featureless sea floor becomes a magnet for marine life.
然而,多年来,渔民们都知道,沉于一片毫无特色的海底平地间的沉船,会吸引海洋生物在那里聚集。
Not only is it a place for fish to hide from predators, but it's also a place where coral can take hold and grow.
它不仅是鱼类躲避捕食者的地方,而且珊瑚能在这里附着生长。
For this reason, shipwrecks are often called artificial reefs.
因此,沉船常被称为人工礁。
Most shipwrecks are the result of accidents or warfare.
大多数沉船都是意外事故或战争的结果。
They have become popular not just with fish, but with divers who want to see the fish or explore the wrecks.
它们不仅受到鱼类欢迎,也受到想要观赏鱼类或探索沉船的潜水者的欢迎。
Sometimes these shipwrecks are not in the most convenient place for divers however, far from shore, sometimes in deep water.
有时,这些沉船在潜水员不方便达到的地方,这些地方远离海岸,有时还在深水区域。
So why not intentionally sink a ship in a convenient spot?
那为什么不故意把船只沉在一个方便到达的地方呢?
That's exactly what people are doing all around the world--sinking old ships as a way to create an artificial reef in a particular spot,
这正是全世界人们正在做的事,把旧船沉是在一个特定地点,让它成为人工礁。
sometimes to help out the fishermen, sometimes to give divers a place to go, and sometimes to help out the local marine life.
有时,它可以帮助渔民,有时给潜水员一个可探险的地方,有时还能帮到当地的海洋生物。
Yes, it's hard to believe, but sinking a big piece of junk on the bottom of the ocean can be a huge help to local marine life!
是的,这有点难以置信,但是把这么一大块垃圾沉入海底能够极大的帮助海洋生物!
My question is how long does it take for a shipwreck to turn into an artificial reef?
我的问题是一艘沉船需要多长时间才能变成人工礁?
To answer this question, I'm off to beautiful Key West, Florida where a relatively new shipwreck awaits.
为了回答这个问题,我要前往佛罗里达州美丽的基韦斯特,在那等着我的是一艘比较新的沉船。
In 2009, a 522 foot long decommissioned missile-tracking warship called the Vandenberg, was sunk off Key West.
2009年,一艘全长522英尺、已经停止使用的导弹跟踪舰范登堡号在基韦斯特附近沉没。
Before the sinking it underwent an extensive clean-up at a shipyard in Virginia to remove anything that might be harmful to the marine environment, and to make it safer for divers.
在沉没之前,它曾在弗吉尼亚州的一个船厂进行了大范围的清理,以清除任何可能对海洋环境有害的东西,同时也会让潜水员更加安全。
Then it was towed all the way to Key West.
然后它被拖到基韦斯特。
Carefully placed explosive charges flooded the ship and sent her to the bottom in under two minutes!
小心把炸药放置在船上,引爆后使该船沉没,在不到两分钟的时间内把她送到了海底!
Immediately after the sinking, the ship looked like something from outer space—a completely white, brand-new looking ship on the bottom of the ocean.
船只沉没后,这艘船就看起来就像是来自外太空的东西——看起来像是一艘崭新的白色轮船停留在海底。
One of the antennae looked ready to be used.
其中一根天线看起来可以用。
Now, four years later, the Blue World dive team is heading back down to Key West to visit the Vandenberg and find out what 4 years on the sea floor have done to the ship.
四年后,《蓝色世界》的潜水小队正回到基韦斯特探访范登堡,并了解在海底停留四年来,这艘船变成了什么样子。
We head over to Southpoint Divers in Key West where we load the boat and join a regularly scheduled dive to the Vandenberg.
我们前往基韦斯特的南点潜水俱乐部,我们在那把装备装上船,参加定期组织的潜水活动去探访范登堡号。
Since this wreck is the second largest artificial reef in the world, it's pretty popular with divers who come from all over the world to see it.
由于这艘沉船是世界上第二大人工礁,因此受到来自世界各地的潜水员的青睐。
It's only a few miles off shore to reach the site.
离开海岸只有几英里就到了。
Captain Mike drives our dive boat in Key West style!
迈克船长驾驶着我们基韦斯特范的潜水船!
Soon, it's time to suit up.
不一会,就该穿上潜水衣了。
Mike gives the dive briefing then it's time to go.
迈克给我们做了潜水简报,该下水了。
Well, it's been four years since the last time I was here, when they sank the Vandenberg.
我上次来这是四年前,当时他们把范登堡号沉在这。
I wonder what four years under the ocean has done to this ship?
我想知道这艘船在海底待了四年,现在变成什么样子了?
Let's go find out!
我们去看看吧!
It's a windy day and the visibility is not as good as I had hoped, but soon the ship comes into view.
今天风很大,能见度不如我希望的那样好,但很快就看到沉船了。
No longer is she ghostly white.
不再是那种可怕的白色了。
The Vandenberg is now covered in a thin layer of marine growth.
范登堡号的船体上现在覆盖着一层薄薄的海洋生物。
Encrusting sponges, hydroids tunicates, as well as small patches of coral festoon her hull.
包裹着海绵、水螅虫,还有挂在船体上很小的珊瑚块。
Schools of small fish have discovered the ship as well, keeping their distance from me as I move through the passageways.
成群的小鱼也发现了这艘船,在我游过通道时,它们与我保持着距离。
I love to swim up the stairs of a shipwreck.
我喜欢沿着船的阶梯往上游。
It gives me the feeling of zero gravity to be hovering above such an iconic symbol of our daily human struggle against the forces of gravity on land!
它给了我一种失重感,让我徘徊在我们日常与陆地引力相斗争的标志性象征物之上!