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Grand Cayman Shipwrecks
Source of information on shipwrecks of Grand Cayman and Little Cayman including links to other shipwreck vacation
destinations.
Information and images taken from Capt. Dan Berg's Tropical Shipwreck book.
According to the
Cayman Islands Department of Tourism . Cayman has World Renowned Dive
Sites.
Whether you opt to go in it, or just sit above it, there's something about the
turquoise waters, white sand and refreshing breezes that keep visitors to the
Cayman Islands coming back for more. There's no limit to the number of things
you can see and do, from the thrill of going underwater without getting wet to
the fun of parasailing along the beautiful Seven Miles Beach or just basking in
the sun. The ideas are endless when you just add water. Watersports centers that
offer a variety of ways to get wet are located in the most convenient spots in
the Cayman Islands, with the main centers being located at major hotels on
Island. Depending on the location, these might include ocean kayaks, windsurfing
boards, hobie cats, waverunners, aqua trikes, view boards, sun searcher floats,
banana boat rides, paddle cats, paddleboats, parasailing, water-skiing or small
sailboats.
How to
SHIPWRECK DIVING Guide By Capt Dan Berg
For more
information about the Cayman Islands visit the Cayman Islands Board of
Tourism’s official website –www.caymanislands.ky
ANNA MARIE
The Anna Marie is also referred to as the Tug Wreck. She was a 25 foot long,
wood hulled tug boat that was used as a support vessel for the Atlantis
submarine. The little tug was sunk by a storm in 1987 and now rests
upright in 50 feet of water on a sand flat just outside of Devil's Grotto in the
southwest corner of Georgetown Harbor. This miniature tug has now been
transformed into a wonderful little fish haven and makes a great background for
wide angle photographs.
BALBOA
The Balboa was a 375foot freighter sunk, on November 10th, 1932, during a
hurricane. After sailing from Cuba into Georgetown, the ship began to
experience engine trouble. She was then caught in shallow water while
enduring a hurricane in full force. Mother nature played a cruel trick on
the Balboa by inflicting waves so high that the ship was bounced up and down off
the ocean floor. Eventually, the vessel could take no more, and her hull
gave way.
The Balboa was carrying a cargo of wood and oil when she went down. The
Caymanian's claim that after the ship sunk you could have walked from the wreck
to shore on her cargo of wood without even getting your feet wet. It
is also said that the wood that washed onto shore was used to build a church
steeple. The story of this wreck is told by dive masters as being a gift
from God.
In 1957, the Army Corp of Engineers decided that this wreck was a hazard to
navigation, and had to be blown up.
Today, the Balboa rests on a sandy bottom in 30 to 35 feet of water.
Divers can explore her stern section which remains partially intact, or they can
swim over a large three bladed steel propeller. Divers can also swim
through a tent like shape that was formed by her steel hull plates.
Fish feeding and photography are ideal activities for this wreck. The
Balboa seems to attract a large array of aquatic life. We were lucky
enough to find and photograph large green moray eel in the Balboa's boiler
room, located just off the wreck's starboard side. Also happy to have
their picture taken were some tiger groupers. This site has become a quite
popular night dive too. According to noted photographer Joe Koppleman, the
Balboa is one of the best places in the world to find and photograph the Orange
Ball Anonyme (Pseudocorynactis Caribbeorun). Also called Sunburst Anonyme, this
rare species is seldom seen by divers.
CALLIE
Built in 1900, the Callie wreck was a 220 foot, four masted steel schooner, or
barkentine that had been refitted with an engine. The Callie was said to
have been carrying a cargo of grain when she ran aground in1944. As the grain
absorbed sea water that was leaking in, it quickly expanded and caused the doom
of the ship. Since the Callie had become a serious hazard to navigation in
the area, it was decided in 1957, as it was with the Balboa, that the British
Army Corp of Engineers would blow her up. The Callie now lies scattered over a
very large area just inshore from the Balboa and about 100 feet from shore
in 20 feet of water.
Since the wreckage is so close to shore, access is very easy for anyone
interested. She is located directly in front of Surfside Watersports
where divers may conveniently rent gear and tanks. You can then swim to
the Callie from the beach by following a 300 degree compass course. The
shop owners have placed steps in the water which make for an easy entry from
their deck. There are also various boat trips that can be taken to the
Callie. Boat loads of snorklers can explore not only the wreck but the
surrounding reef as well. If you're diving on the wreck when one of these
boats arrive as we were, this area will suddenly look like the sea of legs.
While a diver is approaching the Callie which is marked with a large steel
mooring buoy, the first piece to be seen is a large triangular shaped portion of
her bow. This introduction to the wreck only makes you more enthusiastic
about ending this rather long swim and finally reaching the main wreckage area.
Slightly north of this piece is the main area. Once you get there, you'll see
pieces of the broken ship everywhere you look. In fact, it's hard to decide
which way to go first. Although less obvious than the rest of the wreck,
divers can easily locate a huge pile of anchor chain. Next you will
come across her large deck winch, then swimming along the keel to her massive
engine and partially intact stern section. Observant divers should be able
to locate an intact porthole that is lying face down still firmly attached to a
steel plate.
The marine life at this wreck was not as impressive as the other wrecks on the
island, but we did see some large barracuda, tiger groupers, two large puffer
fish, trumpet fish, a small spotted moray eel, and, of course, the always
present and ready for a handout, yellow tailed snappers. Don't forget
about the reef surrounding the wreck. As we found out, it is definitely
worth exploring, and since you're diving in such shallow water a full tank of
air allows plenty of time to explore both the wreck and the reef.
CARRIE LEE
The Carrie Lee was a freighter approximately 100 feet in length that originally
sank on the far side of Grand Cayman. While en route, the ship capsized, turtled,
and floated upside down for a few days. In an attempt to save her, she was towed
into Georgetown, but this attempt was in vain. The Carrie Lee sunk, flipped over
again, and landed on the bottom upright and intact.
Unfortunately for the local dive operations, the Carrie Lee didn't stay in
water shallow enough for sport divers. Instead, she slid down a sandy slope to
her present location which puts her stern in 130 feet of water and her bow in
approximately 200 feet of water.
We were lucky enough to be able to charter two dive trips to the Carrie Lee.
On our first trip, we scouted the wall for about 20 minutes in search of the
wreck and finally found her. Unfortunately our bottom time was used up, and we
had no choice but to settle for a distant photo. Exploration was left for
another day.
On our second trip, Captain Butch brought us right to the wreck. We found her to
be perfectly intact, and it looked as though she was waiting for us to explore
her rusted remains. Her pilot house is accessible through a door on her
port side. A big spotlight and brass horns are still mounted atop the
pilot house. If we swam any further ahead of the pilothouse, we would have
ended up in water considered too deep for sport divers. However, we were
totally in our glory just to be able to explore the stern section since there
was such a large assortment of interesting items. Among these items was an
intact porthole and, after wiping off some light marine growth, we were able to
read the wreck's name Carrie Lee on her stern.
GAMMA
The Gamma is a steel freighter now resting on the shoreline between Georgetown
and Seven Mile Beach. This wreck can be explored or at least observed by even a
tourist walking down the beach. In 1980, the Gamma ran aground on an offshore
reef during a storm or Norwester as the Caymanian's commonly refer to them. The
ship's owners apparently didn't feel that she was worth salvaging and left her
to rest on the reef. Sometime later, after another storm, the ship was forced up
onto the beach which is where she rests today. Her owners finally decided to
hire a salvage company to remove any existing precious metals off of the rusting
hull. Thus, all of her brass portholes and fittings are now gone. These
pieces were brought to the United States and sold as scrap metal. Although
the Gamma is not deep enough to dive , snorklers swimming in the area can enjoy
a nice assortment of fish. Some of the local inhabitants we saw included
trunk fish, blue tangs, peacock flounder, parrot fish, rock beauties, and the
ever delightful angel fish. The Gamma is also a great spot for a photo
back drop on the beach, especially if you wait for a Caribbean sunset to enhance
the background.
KIRK PRIDE
A
visit to the wreck of the Kirk Pride is definitely the highlight of any wreck
diver's trip to Grand Cayman. The Kirk Pride was a 170foot cargo vessel
weighing 498 gross tons. In 1976 the Kirk Pride was docked in Georgetown
due to engine trouble. A Northeaster was building up, and, in an effort to
save the ship from being banged up at dock, it was decided to move her to deeper
waters where it was thought she would be much safer. The ship's
engines were started, and she was backed out from dock. Unluckily, it was
necessary to turn her engines back off in order to switch into forward gear.
It was at this time that fate struck. The engines would not start again,
and the ship was helplessly driven into a reef. The damaged vessel was now in
serious trouble as the ocean water quickly began to seep in. In another attempt
to save her, she was fitted with pumps and towed into deeper water. While
awaiting a calmer sea that would allow more extensive repairs, the Kirk Pride
was left anchored in 60 feet of water with drainage pumps running. During
the night, the wind changed direction causing the ship to swing around and hover
defenseless over the Cayman wall which drops down into 3,000 feet of water. By
morning, the pumps had been overcome with sea water, and her two cargo holds
were filled. At 9:30 AM January 9, 1976, the ocean once again held an empty
surface as the Kirk Pride plunged down into unknown depths.
It was not until 1985that the Kirk Pride was rediscovered. While on one of
their underwater expeditions, Research Submersibles Ltd. came upon the Kirk
Pride. She had not fallen into the depth of 3000 feet as it was believed
but instead became wedged into her final resting place by two huge pinnacles in
800 feet of water. A small pinnacle or haystack trapped the stern, while a large
60 foot high boulder trapped the bow.
Today, this wreck is far beyond the limits of a sport diver but can be viewed
through the use of Research Submersibles Ltd's two passenger submersible.
The submarine ride will last for about one hour and 30 minutes. This once
in a life time adventure of dropping to the great depths of the sea and viewing
the wreck of the Kirk Pride is a memory that will be long lived in anyone's
mind.
The wreck is clearly visible and still sits upright. Her name can easily
be read on the stern as well as on the bow. She has two cargo
compartments. The aft hold still contains a Volkswagen Thing and some
sacks of cement. Portholes, cage lamps, the ship's telegraph, a spare
anchor, and a deck winch were all pointed out to us by the operator of the sub.
In November of 1988,National Geographic published a remarkable stern photo that
captured almost the entire wreck in one image. To get the photo, two
submersibles were used along with two glass floats each filled with four dozen
flashbulbs. The combined flash and lights were over five times the
intensity of a standard Coast Guard lighthouse. It was one of the most powerful
photo flashes ever taken underwater.
Don't be worried, decent photos of the wreck can be taken by anyone using a high
speed film such as 400 or 1000 ASA or video. They will not show the entire wreck
in one photo but will document your dive. The entire experience was a
perfect way to wrap up a great week of diving on Grand Cayman's shipwrecks.
ORO VERDE
As we found out on our trip, the Oro Verde is by far the most popular wreck dive
in Grand Cayman. Dive boats run trips to this wreck regularly, day and
night.
The Oro Verde was an84 foot, steel cargo vessel which was towed and sunk on May
31, 1980, by the Caymanian government. This was done in a joint effort with dive
operators. When the ship was originally sunk, she was completely intact
and lay on her starboard side. Today, years later, much of her upper
structure has given into the elements of time and collapsed. Her bow
section is slightly tilted towards her starboard side, and the deck winch and
hand railings are still in place.
If divers enter the wreck through the large square deck hatch, a penetration
can be made of about 25 feet forward. Once inside, there are a group
of porthole openings you can look through or some inner rooms that
are still intact that can be explored.
Behind the bow section of the wreck, divers can swim in and around huge steel
plates or just have fun feeding the fish. Be careful not to be too
surprised if while feeding the fish, all of a sudden a 300 pound jew fish
is right under you waiting for a handout. This jew fish is more commonly
referred to as Sweet Lips or George and has made the wreck of the Oro Verde his
home. Other inhabitants of the Oro Verde include a four foot spotted moray
eel that lives in a pipe just forward of the pilot house, a six foot green moray
named Kermit who can usually be found under some of the steel plates and a four
foot barracuda named Puff. If you look hard enough as we did, you may also
find a large rock lobster living under the wreck. Due to the
constant hand feedings from divers, the most common fish of all are overly plump
yellow tail snappers, and some beautiful large angel fish.
Since this wreck lies in 50 feet of water, there is more than sufficient bottom
time for exploration and photography. Divers of all experience levels can
enjoy the wreck of the Oro Verde.
PALACE WRECK
The Palace Wreck is the remains of a Norwegian steel hulled brigantine
that was forced onto a reef during a storm in 1903. The wreckage is in very
shallow water of about eight to ten feet. She is in very small pieces that
provide a home for almost every sort of fish and invertebrate represented on the
island. Some fish commonly observed here include puffer fish, scorpion fish,
flying gurnards, stingrays, parrot fish, and juvenile lobsters. Much of
the old rusting hulk remains above the water line, which makes her easy to
locate as a beach dive. The Palace is an excellent site for snorklers to
explore. According to photographers Courtney and Cozy Platt, a word of caution
should be extended to the explorer of this wreck. When a large surf breaks over
this barrier reef, the build-up of water inside the reef sets up a strong
current flowing toward the nearest channel in the reef". Divers should
avoid these channels when the surf is up. This site is also in an area heavily
used by pleasure craft; as always a dive flag is mandatory. Offshore of the
wreck is a reef named Palace Wall after this once fine vessel.
RIDGEFIELD
The Ridgefield was a Liberian freighter, 441 feet long, 57 feet wide, weighed
7,217 gross tons, and was built at the New England Ship Building Corporation,
Portland, Maine in1943. The Ridgefield was originally built as a liberty ship
for WW II and christened the James A. Butts. In 1947 she was renamed Lone Star
State, in 1955, Anniston and in 1957, Caldwell. Later in 1958 she was again sold
and renamed Ridgefield. On December 18, 1962, while en route from Maracaibo to
Galvestone with a cargo of grain and beer, the Ridgefield ran aground and broke
in two.
Today, the Ridgefield is located off the east end of the island in 20 feet of
water. Her bow and stern sections are mostly flattened out, a testament to the
constant pounding of the ocean waves and power of seasonal tropical storms. Her
center section is still standing high and dry above a site that is beautiful to
dive or snorkel on.
LITTLE CAYMAN
SOTO TRADER
The Soto Trader was a120 foot long by 30 foot wide, steel hulled island
freighter registered in Grand Cayman. In April of 1975, she was en route from
Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac, carrying a cargo of beer, gasoline, diesel fuel,
cement mixers, and ajeep and stopped at Little Cayman only to off load diesel
for local generators on the island. While at anchor in an area called The Flats,
her crew was pumping diesel fuel into 55 gallon drums which would later be
transported by small boats to the island when tragedy struck. Some of the diesel
had leaked onto her decks and ignited from a spark, quickly engulfing the vessel
inflames. One crew member die'd of burns almost immediately, while another lived
through being transported to a hospital on Cayman Brac only to pass away
two hours later. The rest of her crew eluded injury. The Soto Trader
burned from3:00 PM until 7:00 AM the next day before slipping beneath the waves
to her watery grave.
The wreck is now sitting in 60 feet of water on the southwest side of Little
Cayman, completely intact and upright. According to Gary Moore, a veteran
Caribbean diver, and Croy McCoy, an island dive guide, divers will find three
large cargo doors on her main deck, all open, which allow for easy access to her
cargo holds. Inside her holds are some remains of her cargo including the jeep
chassis and cement mixers. There is a crane mounted midship with the boom facing
bow to stern. A big green moray eel can usually be found living inside the boom.
The wreck's pilot house is still intact, and her rudder and propeller can be
seen sitting just on top of a coral reef. The area is frequently visited by
eagle rays, puffer fish, shrimp, and angel fish. This site is not dove too
often. Unfortunately, the Soto Trader is situated on the opposite side of the
island from where all of the popular reef dives are. If, however, you can
schedule a dive here, we think you will be quite pleased. Expected visibility
ranges from 40 to 70 feet.
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