Wreck Diving
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Or should I say Planes, Ships, and Automobiles? I’ve had the opportunity to explore the wreckage of planes, ships – and yes even a bus. I always experience a mixed sense of reverent awe and intense curiosity. I imagine how it appeared in its life before the sea, and am at the same time intrigued to see its new life being shaped by nature’s reclamation. Though some sank accidentally or from acts of war, others were intentionally sunk to create new ‘reefs’ for colorful reef-dwellers. (Click to launch larger images)
Crow’s Nest
A rib of an old shipwreck frames a school of French Grunts posing for me – Florida Keys
Final Resting Place
Diver hovers over the guns of the
Russian Destroyer #356 – Cayman Brac
Russian Destroyer #356 – Cayman Brac
Fish in the Crow’s Nest
Fish now occupy the Antilla’s crow’s nest – Orangestaad, Aruba
Wreck Diver’s Dream
Divers descend to the wreck of the Odyssey – Roatan, Honduras
First Look at the Odyssey
Wreck of the Odyssey freighter, at 110 feet – Roatan, Honduras
Touching History
Another view of the Odyssey –
Roatan, Honduras
Roatan, Honduras
Taking it All In
Ven hovers over the wreck of the Odyssey – Roatan, Honduras
Con Tower
Wreck of the Odyssey – Roatan, Honduras
City of Washington Wreck
Ribs of the ship ‘City of Washington’, which sunk in 1917 – Key Largo
Impressive View from the Bottom
Looking up from the bottom of the sea – Roatan, Honduras
Pat and the Odyssey
Wreck of the Odyssey – Roatan, Honduras
Kissimee Tugboat
Wreck of Kissimee – Cayman Brac
Which Way’s Up ?!
German freighter ‘Antilla’ rests on her port side. Diving her can be somewhat disorienting as up is not really ‘up’ – Aruba
Sgt Majors on Patrol
The “Ghost Ship,” Antilla was scuttled off Aruba in 1940 when Germany invaded Holland. Now, Sgt Major fish patrol the decks – Aruba
Silversides Swarm Inside Wreck
Swarms of Silversides swirl inside the wreck of the German freighter, Antilla – Aruba
Silversides Spill into Cargo Hold
A shape-shifting cloud of shiny silversides spill into the wreck’s cargo hold – Aruba
Sgt Majors on Patrol
Silversides inside the hull of the Antilla. – Aruba
A Hull of a lot of Fish
Antilla’s hull is visible just beyond the massive swarm of fish – Aruba
DC-3 Final Landing
DC-3 wreckage creates a new artificial reef – Aruba
DC-3 Tail Section
Reef life is taking over the tail section. – Aruba
DC-3 Cabin Section
A portion of the DC-3 cabin section – Aruba
DC-3 Wreckage
A Sgt Major fish inspecting DC3 plane wreckage – Aruba
WWII Japanese Wreck
First glimpse of a Japanese warship now known as the Helmet Wreck – Palau, Micronesia
WWII Depth Charges
Stacks of Japanese depth charges lie inside the wreck, which was bombed by the U.S. carrier Enterprise in 1944. Palau, Micronesia
WWII Helmets
Japanese helmets remain stacked 74 years after the bombing – Palau, Micronesia
Sake Bottle – WWII Wreck
I found an old sake bottle on this Japanese wreck from WWII – Palau, Micronesia
Wreck Divers
Wreck divers surveying plane wreckage – Aruba
Tora Tora Tora !
Japanese Zero plane wreck from WWII – Palau, Micronesia
Propeller Nursery
Sgt Major fish guards her eggs (purple) on the wreckage propeller blade – Aruba
Twin Props Down
A fish surveys the wreckage of a DC-3 plane – Aruba