Hey SD fans, welcome back, and for those here for the first time, my name s Mark, I am the
editor-in-chief of the Scuba Diver media brand, and welcome to the Scuba Diver YouTube Channel.
Now, there are few countries globally that can compete with Grenada and Carriacou when it
comes to shipwrecks, never mind just in the Caribbean, and incredibly, many of the sunken
vessels were genuine maritime accidents, not purpose-sunk
artificial reefs. Even better, because the islands sit near a busy trade route,
the number of wrecks is going up all the time! Me, I am a certified wreck hound with a lust for
rust, and I ve dived the islands several times in the past 20-odd years, so join me as I take you on
a whistlestop tour around some of Grenada and Carriacou s best shipwrecks.
You cannot talk about wreck diving in Grenada without first mentioning the mighty Bianca C,
a gigantic 180-metre-long, 18,000-ton Italian liner which went down off the coast of Grenada
in 1961.
The Bianca C was built in 1939 on the south coast of France, and then after being launched as
an incomplete ship named Marechal Petain, was sunk by German forces in August 1944. The
hull was raised in 1946 and taken back to its original shipyard, where it was refitted and
launched as a cruise ship in 1949, bearing the name La Marseillaise.
She then became known as the Arosa Sky in 1957 after being sold, before finally, in 1959, she
was bought by the G Costa du Genoa company, and was renamed Bianca C after a daughter in
the family firm. She was tasked with the run from Italy to Venezuela, and Grenada was her last
stop on the return leg. On 22 October 1961, while anchored off St
Georges, an explosion in the boiler room saw the vessel catch fire. Hordes of local boats - ranging
from sailing boats, power boats and tiny dinghies to ocean-going yachts and inter-island
trading schooners, even rowing boats - responded to the crisis, rescuing all but one
person who perished on board. Sadly, of 12 badly burned crew, two other men died later. Showing
the friendliness and generosity that Grenada is renowned for, all of the rescued passengers were
given food and shelter in hotels, guest houses and even private homes.
British frigate HMS Londonderry was in Puerto Rico and sailed down to Grenada to assist.
When the naval vessel arrived on 24 October, the Bianca C was still ablaze. The frigate
managed to take the huge liner in tow, with an aim to move it away from the shipping lanes,
but it proved problematic due to the Bianca C s rudders being jammed, and eventually the
towing line snapped and the ship sank, which is how it came to rest upright in 50m of water off
Pink Gin Beach. I first dived this
behemoth in 1999 and it was still very much shipshape at that point, but nearly
60 years on the seabed has taken its toll on the old girl,
and she is deteriorating year on year, but there is no taking away from the epic scale of
this enormous vessel, and she still makes a fine flagship for the rest of Grenada and Carriacou s
sunken fleet. It is still possible to make out key aspects of the ship, including the swimming pool,
bollards, winches, parts of the superstructure and the bow chain and rope locker.
In terms of marine life, you often get large shoals of Atlantic spadefish cruising above the
wreck, along with large barracuda, eagle rays and even the odd reef shark.
As said before, due to its location on various shipping routes, Grenada is also blessed with a
plethora of shipwrecks that were the result of maritime accidents, and now provide underwater
playgrounds for divers and protective habitats for marine life.
The 50-metre freighter Shakem was carrying much-needed bags of cement for the building
industry on Grenada when she was caught in a storm in May 2001. The heavy cargo shifted and
she went down, settling upright in 30m. The remnants of the bags of cement can clearly be seen
in the holds the cement has set, and the bags have long since fallen apart, leaving giant
pillows stacked neatly in piles but her real draw is the rich smothering of coral and sponge
growth that seems to cover every square inch of her hull, superstructure and especially the large
crane lying amidships. This is liberally covered in gorgonian sea fans, while the rear of the ship
almost looks like a fluffy white wall dive due to the thick coating of coral.
Smaller than the Shakem at a length of 40 metres, the Veronica L is a freighter which sank after
springing a leak, but was then raised and moved to a location near Grande Anse after work
began on the cruise ship dock. Now lying in 15m,
she is a perfect wreck dive for all levels, and is adorned in marine growth and fish life.
The Atlantic side of Grenada which is often rougher, with large swells, but also benefits from
having tremendous visibility - is home to several world-class shipwrecks.
The King Mitch makes for an unusual wreck dive, given that she resembles a box with a
pointed front! Originally a US Navy minesweeper from World War Two, she was retro-fitted
into a freighter by having two cargo holds inserted in her middle,
with a crane attached to the deck between them. She lies several miles offshore
on her side in just over 30m, and sank in 1981 when her bilge pump failed.
There is some coral growth on her, but as the wrecks on this
side of the island are often swept by sometimes fierce currents, it is nowhere near as prolific
and dense as on the Caribbean side. What it does have is nurse sharks, lots of them, and
southern stingrays, not to mention patrolling barracuda and amberjack.
A little closer to land is the cargo vessel Hema 1, which had delivered a consignment of cement
to the island and was enroute back to Trinidad on 1 March 2005 when she was also the victim
of a failed bilge pump and ended up in 30m of water. Shortly after being sunk, she was broken
apart by hurricane surge, and now the hull and bow lie on their port side, with the midships
well flattened. This wreck is another haunt for nurse sharks, which swarm in large numbers
under hull plates and near the bow, and reef sharks sometimes pay a
fleeting visit from out of the blue.
The latest vessel to join Grenada s underwater fleet on the Atlantic side was the Persia II,
which went down in 35m in March 2017. Coral growth on this cargo ship is fairly sparse at the
moment, but marine life has already started to move in, with various reef fish and the invasive
lionfish in residence. I dived this when it had literally been down a few weeks, and it was very
weird to dive a wreck that was so clean and fresh. But even then, there were already a few
inquisitive reef fish staking a claim in the superstructure.
Not that they necessarily need it with such a selection of genuine shipwrecks, but Grenada and
Carriacou also boast several artificial reefs, and more are in the pipeline. Grenada has the
Buccaneer, a sloop sunk way back in 1978 that lies on its starboard side in just 23m and is well-
festooned with marine growth, as is the cargo ship MV Hildur,
which has been down since 2007 and lies in Grand Mal Bay in 35m.
The 60-metre container ship Anina languished in Grand Anse Bay for several years before
finally being green-lighted as an artificial reef, but she ended up going down slightly earlier
than planned at the end of March 2018 after starting
to take on water and can be found lying on her side in some 30m of water. It is a stunning
dive, with the flat bottom of the vessel liberally coated in orange cup corals so much so it
resembles a wall dive and the cavernous holds being open for exploration.
The latest wreck was the Tyrrel Bay, a former US Coastguard patrol boat which went down at
the end of September 2018 close to Boss Reef off Grand Anse Beach. The result of a two-year
public/private sector project, the wreck still has many interesting features, including a safe,
telephone, compasses, control panels and levers, and even a few toilets, and its shallow depth
means it can be enjoyed by all levels of diver, even freedivers.
On Carriacou near Mabouya Island, you have the Twin Tugs, two vessels sitting within a short
distance of one another in 27-30m, though for a thorough exploration of both, they are best
visited individually due to the depth. Both are around 30 metres in length - the Westsider was
sent to the bottom on 4 September 2004, and the Boris followed on 10 September 2007.
The two wrecks are covered in vibrant red and orange encrusting corals and algae and
penetration into the interior is possible on both. Currents can sometimes sweep across them,
and they are home to angelfish, wrasse, soldierfish, lobster and moray eels.
This duo were joined in January 2018 by the 38-metre tugboat Mammoth Troll. The Troll, as
it is known, is now on the bottom in 35m in an upright position. Penetration is possible into
various sections of the vessel, and there is a great swim-through running the length of the
superstructure on the starboard side. So, as you can see, Grenada and Carriacou boast
a plethora of shipwrecks. This is fantastic news for divers, whether you are a newly
qualified open water diver, or a hardcore diving veteran or tech diver. And if you aren t into
your sunken metal, never fear the sheer amount of marine growth and fish life that lives on and
around the wrecks means every dive is a swirling riot of vibrant colour.
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As always, if you are going diving in the coming days, enjoy - and stay safe.