Racha Yai Dive Sites - Marlas Mystery
The then owner of Scuba Cat Diving, Mike Stark, created Marla’s Mystery in November 2000.
Mike discovered a hull rusting away in the Shipyard in Phuket town She was a confiscated Smuggling Vestal, 34 meters long, and completely stripped years ago leaving behind a sterile and environmentally friendly potential artificial reef. A fair bit of work was involved patching the vessel for her final voyage, 15 years of shipyard fees paid and Marla’s Mystery was finally ready. “
Now 11 years on she sits off the East coast of Racha Yai, between Bay 1 and 2, at a 35 metre depth.
Marla Mystery has worked well as an Artificial reef, attracting large numbers of lion fish, scorpion fish, groupers to name but a few. Her hull is open and is the ideal place to take a wreck speciality and enjoy swimming through whilst watching out for the Moray Eels that have made their home inside.
Hard and soft corals are found growing on her superstructure although sometimes she can be hard to see for the Millions of glassfish around her bow.
On the first anniversary of her sinking Mike held a Bathtub race, these Bathtubs sit around her on the Sandy bottom making small artificial reefs themselves.
