ARUBA Netherland
Antilles
Aruba is the most westerly of the ABC islands of the Netherlands
Antilles,
lying 15 miles north of Venezuela. The island is well known for its
white
sand beaches, casinos and resorts.
Most diving is done off the island's west coast, and there are a
number of
interesting and historic shipwrecks to be explored.
For more information about Aruba visit the Aruba Board of Tourism’s
official website –
www.aruba.com
ANTILLA
The Antilla, also known as the German Freighter Wreck, or Ghost
Ship, was
397 feet long, had a 55.4 foot beam, weighed 2,164 net tons, and
4,400
gross tons. She was built in 1939 by Finkenwarder at Hamburg and was
powered by two steam turbines. Although she was a brand new German
vessel, the Antilla was sunk intentionally but not to make a dive
site or fish
haven. She was an unarmed ship used by the Germans to supply their
submarines during WW II and was nick-named Ghost Ship by the allies
who were never able to locate and attack the ship outside of neutral
waters.
When Germany invaded Holland in May of 1940, the Antilla was moored
just off the shore of Aruba which is a Dutch territory. The local
law
enforcement immediately asked for her surrender but gave her captain
a
day to think about it. That night the Antilla was scuttled in order
to prevent
the ship's capture. Her captain and crew were detained for the rest
of the
war in a prisoner of war camp on the island of Bonaire.
The Antilla now rests in 50 to 60 feet of water off the south side
of Aruba.
She is one of the largest wrecks in the Caribbean and rests intact
on a
sand bottom. This dive is very interesting for beginner and
experienced
divers alike. Due to the large compartments of this vessel, this is
a great
wreck for penetration. Many of these compartments are unopened, and,
therefore, remain unexplored. Visibility is good but not great,
averaging 30
to 60 feet. Marine life is abundant on the wreck, she is covered
with
giant tube sponges and coral formations. The Antilla is also
surrounded by
rock lobsters and all other types of tropical fish. Night dives at
this site
are great for macro photography. Many little critters can be found
to
photograph, including banded coral shrimp, arrow crabs, and hermit
crabs.
SS CALIFORNA
This wreck is known as the SS California. Many magazine articles and
reference sources have listed this wreck as being the remains of the
ship
that received but did not respond to the Titanic's S.O.S. signal. In
fact, the
vessel involved with the Titanic disaster was a 447 foot long, steel
hulled
Leyland Liner that was torpedoed off Cape Matapan on November 9th,
1915. The ship involved with the Titanic was named Californian not
California, and is definitely not this wood hulled wreckage off
Aruba.
However, this unidentified shipwreck is fascinating to explore and
is located
at a depth that makes it very convenient for underwater photography,
only
15 to 30 feet. The wreck is located on the northwest tip of Aruba
where
at times a strong current is present. If divers swim out past the
wreck into deeper water, there's a good chance of seeing bull or
hammerhead sharks.
JANE SEA
The Jane Sea is the latest underwater attraction in Aruba. She is a
170
foot long, English freighter which was scuttled in September of 1988
in
order to form a fish haven. The Jane Sea is the most intact wreck
off the
island, and lies in 60 to 100 feet of water near Barcadera Reef. She
is
engulfed by a sandy bottom with brain coral formations and an
abundance
of huge sea fans of different species everywhere. Plenty of
incredible
encounters with marine life await you at this breathtaking dive
site.
PEDERNALES
Just a little south from the Antilla wreck lies another casualty of
war. The
Pedernales wreck is the remains of a torpedoed oil tanker. As the
story
goes, the bow and stern sections of the ship were sealed, cut off,
salvaged
and fitted onto another vessel which was later employed in the
Normandy
invasion of WW II.
Today, this wreck, which is just the center section of a once proud
vessel,
lies in 25 to 40 feet of water in front of the Holiday Inn Hotel. It
is a
beginner diver's paradise offering a combination of large pieces of
wreckage
spread out between coral formations as well as completely intact
wreck cabins.
Divers will see everything from wash basins, lavatories, and toilets
to two
torpedoes. Due to the shallow depth and clear water of this wreck,
she can
be enjoyed by snorkelers as well as divers.
TUGBOAT WRECK
This is a super dive site. As divers descend to the wreck, they will
start to
see magnificent formations of brain coral, star coral and sheet
coral.
Gradually, the remains of this old tug boat will emerge from the
distance.
Usually a pair of green morays will await your arrival. I've been
told that
it is not uncommon to see spotted eagle rays and sting rays in the
same
vicinity. This site is a favorite of many photographers.
Basic shipwreck
information and images for the Caribbean section of this site was
taken with permission from the book Tropical Shipwrecks by Daniel
and Denise Berg.
You are invited to
submit your shipwreck related articles, images and information. As
long as the text, photographs, sketches etc are of professional
quality we will showcase them. Full credit will be provide and a
same page link to your web site can be arranged.
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