Fabulous Diving - Oro Verde Shipwreck

By Author: Cindy Smeltzer
Total Articles: 2
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The Oro Verde shipwreck in Grand Cayman continues to be a preferred location for divers from the time when the ship was sunk on May 31, 1980 by the Camanian government. The vessel a 131-foot 692-ton freighter lies in about 50 feet of water just off Seven Mile Beach. This wreck has deteriorated substantially from the time of her reefing, mainly due to several hurricanes which struck the Cayman's during the last 30 years. The wreckage at present is distributed over a broad area with only the bow section remains intact.You can read regarding the history about the ship and background of the Oro Verde ...
... on Steven Smeltzer's blog and view the full underwater picture gallery on Smeltzer's website.Details of the diveThis shipwreck and surrounding coral reefs are home to a selection of sea creatures including, fishes, Sea Turtles, crustaceans and corals, making this among the most visited "second site" dives in Grand Cayman, regularly frequented after a deep wall dive and reasonably often as a night dive. While the ship was in perfect shape when it was sunk and resting on her starboard side in the sand next to a patch of coral reef, the wreck's details and shape have since given way with the passage of time; passing hurricanes have busted scattered the ship across a large area nearer to the coral reef. Still, theOro Verderemains a great example of a thriving artificial reef. A marker is attached to the bow section which remains the only intact part of the wreck. Although you may no longer penetrate the wreck but you can look through a couple of port holes into the bow section. The debris field flows primarily from the bow to the north along the coral reef. The diver may prefer to use all or a portion of the dive exploring the wreck and/or part of the dive exploring the reef. There is a wide range of reef fishes including Silversides (seasonally), Sergeant Majors, Angelfish, Schoolmasters, Parrotfish, large groupers and moray eels as well as crustaceans such as the arrow crab and rough file clams. This is a very good dive and it's always particularly worthwhile as a night dive site due to the range of fish and other marine animals that happen to be on the site. The Oro Verde is located approximately one hundred yards off shore therefore advanced scuba divers in good physical condition can reach it as a shore dive but with the extended swim and requisite dive flags and floats due to offshore boat traffic, why bother? Every one of the Grand Cayman dive operators will be happy to take you to the Oro Verde as your second half of a two tank west side boat dive, an afternoon dive or on a night dive. It is certainly recommended to dive this shipwreck whether or not it is the first time or if you have been diving on the wreck previously. The dive site is constantly shifting and the marine species at the dive site continually make for an exciting dive. View images of additional shipwrecks in Grand Cayman including the Doc Poulson and the USS Kittiwake.See Smeltzer's website or blog for additional underwater photos and information. The pool is open...