ST. LUCA
British Windward Islands
The tropical volcanic island of St. Lucia is located between St.
Vincent and
Martinique. The island is known for its dramatic walls, drift dives,
yellow
sea horses, and diverse marine life. In the past, St. Lucia has not
been a good
wreck diving location. It seems that any ship that had the
misfortune
of sinking near this island sunk in water much too deep for sport
divers,
3,000 feet. Now, this has all changed. The fisheries department has
started,
and it plans to continue to sink abandoned vessels in shallow water.
Today,
divers can have the best of both worlds as they can enjoy reef as
well as
wreck diving on this lush, tropical paradise.
For more information about St Lucia visit the St Lucia Board of
Tourism’s official website –
www.stlucia.org
LESLEEN M
The Lesleen M was a 165 foot long, steel hulled cargo vessel. Lue
Flotte
and Mary Ellen Kenny, New York based photographers, report that she
was intentionally
sunk in 1986 by the ministry of fisheries with the intention
of creating an artificial reef. The Lesleen M was prepared for
sinking by
the St. Lucian Port Authority. They removed her mast and wheel house
as
these items may have caused the ship to protrude too high off the
sea floor,
possibly causing a hazard to navigation. The Port Authority also cut
holes
in the vessel above her water line in order to help the ship sink
quickly
yet not take on any water while being moved. She was towed by the
Port
Authority tug to a spot in 90 feet of water, but due to a strong
current and
a half hour of sinking, Sh^ drifted quite a bit and ended up sitting
upright
in 65 feet of water.
This site already has a good coating of sponges and coral. Angel
fish,
groupers, tiger groupers, grunts, hogfish, silversides, pipe fish,
sergeant majors,
jacks, squirrel fish, and large yellow sea horses are only a very
small example
of the types of fish observed here each dive.
PLANE
The Plane wreck is that of an old De Havilland Heron, a four engine
light
transport plane built in Hatfield, England. In L984, after being
found
abandoned, she was towed to a sight off the south side of the island
and
sunk as a dive location. The Plane now sits upright, bow facing
towards the
shore, in 100 feet of water on a sand bottom. Average visibility at
the
wreck ranges from 40 to 50 feet.
Very close to the Plsne wreck is the remains of the freighter
Wawinet.
WAWINET
The Wawinet was an abandoned 4,000 ton freighter that had sat in the
harbor, unattended for at least two years. She was towed to a spot
off the
south side of St. Lucia and sunk to form an artificial reef in 1984.
The
Wowinet is now sitting intact in 100 feet of water on a hard packed
silt
bottom. According to Keith Nichols, a biologist with the Fisheries
Department, the area tends to have a strong current and is suitable
for
experienced divers only.
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