Ins & Outs of Barbados 2020

Small but Mighty The Ce-Trek , the Barge , and Zoom are some of the smaller wrecks in this park, and each can boast a unique collection of reef fish that continue to be colonised by vibrant corals. Torpedoed Twice History buffs and family of the lost crewmen of the Cornwallis continue to dive on what now remains of this Canadian naval vessel that was sunk by a German U Boat on Sep 11, 1942. Many Barbadians recall hearing the loud explosion! After the brazen attack the navy managed to float the damaged vessel, and what remains in Barbados is a large section of her bulkhead. While returning to her home port, Cornwallis was torpedoed by another U boat off Maine and lost most of her crew. Her twisted remains in Carlisle Bay therefore serve as a memorial to all those lost souls. The ShipWreck Barbados is referred to as the ‘ShipWreck Capital of the Caribbean’ for good reason... it is the only island where divers can see seven, yes SEVEN, ship wrecks on one amazing dive. In the 80’s, when scuba diving was just becoming popular around the globe, Barbados had already sunk the largest purpose sunk ship wreck in the Caribbean This is the Big One, Baby! The largest wreck in the bay, the Ellion (110ft.), was sunk by the Coast Guard and Ram Edghill in 1996, after she was caught with a large haul of contraband. Unless you dive you likely won’t get the rare opportunity to “surface” in the air pocket in the bow, while 40 feet below, take out your regulator and say, “I love this island!” Wrecks in the Carlisle Bay Marine Reserve The Old Grande Dame The oldest wreck in Carlisle Bay Marine Park is the Berwyn , a French naval vessel, that was reportedly scuttled by her own crew in 1919 to avoid returning to post World War 1 Europe. Most Adventurous Briana sunk in 2014 after several days of rain and old age took its toll and she drifted beneath the waves. She sits perfectly upright and now attracts large predatory fish as she sits close to the “drop off”. Perhaps one of the most adventurous wrecks, with swinging cargo doors and cutlery on the table below deck! Ce-Trek Ellion Berwyn 166  DIVING INS& Final Trip for The Trident The Trident “PO1” , our newest wreck and once the flag ship of the Barbados Coast Guard, is an impressive wreck with her double barrelled 60mm guns on the bow. The local dive operators joke that her guns point out to sea to protect the Marine Reserve from poachers. The controlled sinking of the Trident was coordinated by Gordon Murphy, the Coast Guard and Barbados Blue divers. Many of the officers shed a tear as she was towed out to her final resting place in April 2013. Bajan Queen Our Bajan Queen One of the most popular wrecks with Bajans is the Bajan Queen , which now rests in 40 feet, as she was once Barbados’ only tug and was later refitted as a famous party cruiser. Divers return to swim through the large schools of fish that live inside her hull and diving between her huge engines never gets old. Since being sunk in 2002, Bajan Queen has had more ‘passengers’ as a ship wreck than she did as a floating vessel.