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Anyone who has ever gone scuba diving
knows what a mystical and powerful experience it can be. Observing marine
life in its home is something you don't forget. Moreover, there's a
peacefulness under the waves that you don't really find on dry land. Though
it can sometimes seem a bit unreal, it's very soothing. But for those of you
interested in a more exciting, challenging diving experience, consider wreck
diving. This involves exploring the underwater resting place of a sunken
ship and the chance to investigate its long-lost treasures.
Of all the places in the world to wreck
dive, Bermuda is one of the best. In the waters off the shore you will find
some of the most exciting and inspiring wrecks you will ever have the chance
to explore. Here are some of Bermuda's finest wreck diving sites:
The Constellation/Montana
Just off the northwestern coast of Bermuda
are the remains of two ships which sank in exactly the same location, though
80 years separated them. The Montana, which sank on her maiden voyage, was
an English steamer during the time of the Civil War that sank on December
30, 1863. Eighty years later, The Constellation met her demise at precisely
the same spot, and her wreckage virtually overlaps that of the Montana.
Today, schools of colorful fish make this heap of underwater ruins their
home. Carrying a vast treasure trove of cargo, including china, pistachio
nuts, religious artifacts, cosmetic supplies, 78rpm records by RCA, tickets
to Coney Island (printed in Spanish) and a plethora of other goods, what's
left of the Constellation can be found just 30 feet beneath the water's
surface, making for a very profitable dive, indeed. To this day, divers find
abundant goods for the taking.
The Cristobel Colon
This Spanish luxury liner is the largest
shipwreck known to be in the seas surrounding Bermuda. Running aground in
October of 1936, most of the valuables, which included art and fine
furniture, were removed, leaving the ship sitting on the reef for quite some
time. When, the following year, those aboard the Aristo saw the ship, they
misinterpreted the sight as that of a ship underway, ultimately following
her onto the reefs. The remains of the Cristobel Colon now lie in the waters
at a shallow depth of 15 feet to 80 feet at her deepest end, with the bulk
of her wreckage lying in a 100,000 square foot area. The Aristo, which also
sank, can be found anywhere from 18 to 50 feet below the water's surface.
Other wreckages that are suitable for
diving in the area include the Lartington, Southwest Breaker, Mary Celestia,
Minnie Breslaur, The Hermes, The Xing Da Wreck, L'Herminie, The North
Carolina, the Darlington, Rita Zovetta, The Taunton, Caraquet and Madiana,
as well as the wreckage of a B-29 bomber, simply referred to as ~The
Airplane Wreck~. |
