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Grenadines Encyclopedia
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The Wreck Of The San Juan
Picture : Colin Swindells
Location: 2 miles from Hardy Bay, St Georges
Description: Fishing boat
Depth: 27 metres
Visibility: 20 metres
Rating: ****
The San Juan is a recently discovered wreck of an old fishing vessel, which makes a fantastic dive. There can be a current, but if not some penetration is possible.
The wreck is mostly intact and nurse sharks are often seen in and around the wreck as well as batfish, barracudas and eagle rays.
A fabulous dive. In a strong curent so negative entry from boat and straight down shot line to bottom (27 metres).
The wreck was heavily battered by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and is now very broken.
Met at the bottom by 5 - 6 large nurse sharks who posed for a very good photo shoot. Surrounds covered by the local reef fish plus a few large lobster. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Colin Swindells
Source : divesitedirectory
Reviews
This is a small wreck laying 1.5 miles south of the island in the rougher and more tidal waters of the Atlantic.She was carrying a cargo of whiskey and cigarettes when she sank in rough seas.
The nature of her cargo, the survival of all her crew, and the mis-reporting of her final position leaves the cynical thinking ?sank or scuppered??.
She now sits upright on the seabed with a slight list to starboard. It is locally known as shark wreck. Ho Hum, I hear you sigh! No really!
The wreck itself can be swum around in a couple of minutes. Counting the number of nurse sharks using it as a daytime resting-place can take a bit longer.
Stingray and Atlantic spadefish are also common visitors, while eagle rays are always a possibility.
This is a sparkling dive and many peoples favourite.
The enriched air advantage! She sits in 27m of water on a flat sandy bottom, and gives a square profile dive of 2O minutes bottom time on air (PADI tables).
Or alternatively 45 minutes of bottom time using 37% enriched air nitrox.
You can?t make one cylinder last that long at that depth? You could if you were using a rebreather! Whatever gas you use the sharks are always there!
Source : Scuba Tech - Website
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