Ins & Outs of Barbados 2020

The Lords Lord Willoughby and Lord Combermere at one time carried water and supplies out to cargo vessels before the Bridgetown Harbour was built. When they became obsolete in 1961, they were both scuttled, and are still visited regularly by scuba divers. Actually, Lord Combermere is one of the main at t ract i ons for guests on board the Atlantis Submarine to this day. A Nursery for Coral The Folkestone barge was the epicentre for the first coral transplantation study in 2001, and now continues to help repopulate staghorn corals as PADI coral nurseries and highly trained volunteers are reintroducing some of the rarest corals to Barbados reefs. Capital of the Caribbean DIVING  167 INS Perfect Pair The Pamir and the Yellow Submarine are two of the northern- most ship wrecks, and due to their 50-60 foot depth, are a favourite of new divers. The Pamir was purposely scuttled in the 80’s and the Yellow Sub was left behind by a Russian billionaire who deployed it from his super yacht before leaving Barbados! By Andre Miller of Barbados Blue The ‘Stav’ Barbados’ most famous wreck undoubtedly is the Stavronikita , a vessel that suffered a catastrophic explosion out in the Atlantic in 1976, which killed six of her crew and crippled her. Shortly after, she drifted into Barbadian waters, never to sail again. The then Minister of Health, Dame Billie Miller proposed she be turned into an underwater attraction and two years later the US Army Core of Engineers sunk the “Stav” on November 21st 1978. At that time she was the largest ship wreck in the Caribbean and launched the local scuba industry. Stavronikita is a deep dive, she sits in 130 feet of water, the absolute deepest that recreational scuba divers are allowed to go. “Stav” is therefore reserved for advanced divers and each year thousands of divers still come to Barbados to tick her off their bucket list. Lord Combermere Courtesy Barbados Dive Guide Stavronikita The Trident The Pamir Courtesy Barbados Dive Guide Friars Craig The Friars Craig was also purposely scuttled in 1985 when it was realised that recreational scuba diving was attracting large numbers of a new type of adventure seeking scuba diver. This wreck, which rests in 50 feet off Hastings, is next to the Reef Balls, an artificial reef project that continues to attract schooling reef and predatory fish. Well, at least when the fishermen stop overfishing! Photos courtesy Barbados Blue unless stated otherwise.