Cruising the Caribbean, Part IX
December 14, 2011 - St. Thomas
12:52
Moar diving! First a reef, and then another wreck. The visibility was a lot better today, hovering at about 50'. The reef, which sits in about 50-60' of water, was nice. Very similar to the other reefs this trip, but more open and flatter. It was in a place called Shipwreck Cove, on Buck Island, maybe a couple of miles from the cruise ship's dock. My pictures of the reef are nothing spectacular, but they're acceptable. (I DO wish my camera case gave me access to my zoom and mode buttons... :-( *sigh* )
The second dive was on a nearby wreck. They didn't even bother moving the boat.
It has quite a bit of history behind it, actually. They told us the story just before the dive. The wreck is of a WWII era freighter called the Cartanza Sr. Its captain was shipping agricultural products, and eventually decided he could make a better profit shipping shall we say illegal agricultural products. The coast guard got wind of it, and raided the ship, but not before the captain heard about the raid and got rid of anything incriminating. I don't remember how, but his boat was sunk, right at the pier where the cruise ship is now, making a great dive site. After a while, though, the harbourmaster decided the wreck needed to go. The divers protested this move, though, and had divers on the wreck 24/7 for a few days. They half succeeded, too. The decision was passed down from on high that if the divers removed the wreck from the harbour, they could keep it. And so it got moved to Shipwreck Cove, placed in 80-100' of water, and enjoyed for a few years. Eventually, though, a hurricane came through, and placed the wreck up on shore. A second hurricane (Irene) took the beached wreck, broke it in three, and put it where it is now, at a depth of about 60'.
The wreck itself doesn't have quite as much sealife around it as the reef does, but the scenery is much more dramatic. I'm quite happy with the way those photos turned out, but it will take a bit of sorting before they get put up anywhere.
15:14
Shopping done. SWEDISH STYLE!
I didn't end up going out to see the island or town. I went for my dive, showered, rinsed my gear, had lunch, and shopped. Mom and dad went snorkeling on the other side of the island. There are, sadly, no photos from that excursion. They apparently had crystal clear water. Which made me a little jealous. But eh.
(Follow the fake cut to the photos)
12:52
Moar diving! First a reef, and then another wreck. The visibility was a lot better today, hovering at about 50'. The reef, which sits in about 50-60' of water, was nice. Very similar to the other reefs this trip, but more open and flatter. It was in a place called Shipwreck Cove, on Buck Island, maybe a couple of miles from the cruise ship's dock. My pictures of the reef are nothing spectacular, but they're acceptable. (I DO wish my camera case gave me access to my zoom and mode buttons... :-( *sigh* )
The second dive was on a nearby wreck. They didn't even bother moving the boat.
It has quite a bit of history behind it, actually. They told us the story just before the dive. The wreck is of a WWII era freighter called the Cartanza Sr. Its captain was shipping agricultural products, and eventually decided he could make a better profit shipping shall we say illegal agricultural products. The coast guard got wind of it, and raided the ship, but not before the captain heard about the raid and got rid of anything incriminating. I don't remember how, but his boat was sunk, right at the pier where the cruise ship is now, making a great dive site. After a while, though, the harbourmaster decided the wreck needed to go. The divers protested this move, though, and had divers on the wreck 24/7 for a few days. They half succeeded, too. The decision was passed down from on high that if the divers removed the wreck from the harbour, they could keep it. And so it got moved to Shipwreck Cove, placed in 80-100' of water, and enjoyed for a few years. Eventually, though, a hurricane came through, and placed the wreck up on shore. A second hurricane (Irene) took the beached wreck, broke it in three, and put it where it is now, at a depth of about 60'.
The wreck itself doesn't have quite as much sealife around it as the reef does, but the scenery is much more dramatic. I'm quite happy with the way those photos turned out, but it will take a bit of sorting before they get put up anywhere.
15:14
Shopping done. SWEDISH STYLE!
I didn't end up going out to see the island or town. I went for my dive, showered, rinsed my gear, had lunch, and shopped. Mom and dad went snorkeling on the other side of the island. There are, sadly, no photos from that excursion. They apparently had crystal clear water. Which made me a little jealous. But eh.
(Follow the fake cut to the photos)