Our Wrecks:
We have some of the most assessable wrecks in the world. Dive on a little bit of history in shallow, clear, warm water. Discover The Constellation, The Hemes or one of our purpose sunk wrecks like The Sea Venture or Forceful all easily located from our handy guide.
Wreck sites are in the range of 30 to 80 feet with one or two deeper spots, which are generally planned in advance. Reef sites are in the 30 to 40 foot range. Water temperatures range from 60 deg F in the winter months to 80+ def F in the peak of summer. Bermuda is the northern-most coral reef system in the Atlantic – we are parallel to the Carolinas, and far removed from the
Caribbean!
What makes reef life possible in Bermuda is the passage of the Gulf Stream, which brings warm salty water from further south and throughout the development of Bermuda’s land mass,
popupalated the reef platform with a wide variety of the fish and marine life that would otherwise only be found much further south. Our reef system survives the colder temperatures of the winter months, and because of pre-emptive action on conservation efforts, our reef is in excellent shape.
Our wrecks each tell a story. Some are relatively new, sunk on purpose as dive sites – such as the Sea Venture (a ferry named after the famous Bermuda wreck from the 1600s), the Tugs (Forceful and the King) and one of the island’s top attractions above or below the water – The Hermes, a cargo ship sunk off the south shore in the 1980s. Some go back as far as the 1700s and 1800s – so while there may not be as much of those left to see, they bring their history to the present day and remind us of things that might otherwise fade from memory. All of the wreck sites are very safe to dive – manageable depths and exciting features.
Our Reefs:
We are also not solely limited to wrecks as there are 400 sq. kilometres of reef to explore. Bermuda has the most northerly coral reef in the world. Our reef is truly expansive and not a simple series of finger and groove formations. It has grown solid like a carpet with caverns, grottos. Over-hangs, tunnels,
gullies and huge arches interspersed with abundant pockets of pink and white sands.
Although we do not have all the colourful sponges the Caribbean offers our system is far healthier and resplendent with large Sea fans and huge Finger (Candelabra) corals. The fringing reef system is home for a vast quantity of reef life: Invertebrates, crustaceans, pelagic and reef fish.
We even have pods of Humpback whales passing by during March, April and May and then we operate a boat that departs specifically to do full and half-day whale watch charters. An unbelievable
experience to say the least.
THE BERMUDA SHIPWRECK CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
The Bermuda Department of Tourism (now the
Bermuda Tourism Authority) created a series of
commemorative certificates for the most popular wreck sites around Bermuda. High quality digital
versions of these can be found here. They always have been and continue to be free!
If you have any questions about any specific sites, please let us know.
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