Damaged reef Photo: Alex Mustard Photo: AM Photo: AM staghorn coral covered in debris Photo: AM reef before collision Photo: AM what the reef used to look like Photo: AM

A steel barge carrying thousands of tons of building material has crashed into popular diving site off the Malaysian island of Sipadan. DIVE contributor Alex Mustard, who witnessed the crash at the weekend, said the reef suffered extensive damage as a result.

'The grounding literally sheared off the top of the reef - leaving a flat white limestone surface - rather like a motorway across the top of the reef,' Mustard told DIVE. 'The area of damage was at least the size of a couple of tennis courts.'

The steel barge was forced on to the reef following a gale. Malaysian dive guide author Andrea Ferrari criticised the island's authorities for allowing the steel barge to anchor on Sipadan Island.

'It is incredible that the barge was allowed to anchor right in front of Sipadan's legendary drop-off,' Ferrari said. 'It was brutally pushed by a nightly gale against the reefs, ending up beached on the island like some monstrous whale after having scraped clean all nature's delicate work of a thousand years between the old pier and Barracuda Point. The barge's flat steel hull has wiped corals away like a titanic knife edge spreading butter on toast.'