Scuba Diving The Oro Verde

By Author: Brooke Requejo
Total Articles: 1
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The Oro Verde shipwreck located in Grand Cayman continues to be a favorite site for divers since the ship was sunk on May 31, 1980 by the Camanian government. The vessel a is located in roughly 15 meters of water a short distance off Seven Mile Beach. This wreck has deteriorated considerably from the time of her sinking, largely due to a number of hurricanes that hit the Cayman's within the last 30 years. The wreckage at present is strewn over a broad vicinity and only the bow section still in one piece.You can read about the history about the ship and circumstances of the Oro Verde ...
... on Steven Smeltzer's blog and explore the complete underwater photo gallery on Smeltzer's web site.Overview of the diveThis shipwreck along with the surrounding coral reefs house a variety of marine life including, fishes, Sea Turtles, crustaceans and corals, making this one of the most visited shallow dives in Grand Cayman, often visitied after a deeper wall dive or on a night dive. Although it was in perfect shape when it was reefed and lying on her starboard side in the sand next to a patch of reef, the wreck's finer details have since succumbed with the force of time; previous hurricanes have broken scattered the ship across a wide debris field closer to the reef. In spite of everything, theOro Verderemains a great example of a thriving artificial coral reef. A marker is attached to the bow section which remains the only intact part of the wreck. There are no longer any ways to make a way into the wreck you can look into the bow section by means of a couple of port holes.. The debris field runs from the bow section to the north along several coral fingers. The diver may decide to spend all or part of the dive on the shipwreck and a portion of the dive on the reef. There is a wide range of reef marine life such as Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors, Angelfish, Silversides (seasonally), Schoolmasters, groupers, eels and crustaceans.. This can be a very worthwhile dive and it is especially good as a night dive due to the diversity of marine species which are present. The Oro Verde is located approximately 100 yards off shore so advanced divers in great physical shape could reach it as a shore dive but with the long swim and required dive flags and floats due to offshore boat traffic, it doesn't make a lot of sense? All of the local dive operators will be happy to take you to the Shipwreck on a morning, afternoon or on a night dive. It is positively recommended to dive this shipwreck whether it is the first time or if you have dove on the wreck previously. The site is frequently shifting and the marine species on the dive site continually make for an compelling dive. Check out photographs of other wrecks in The Cayman's such as the Doc Poulson and the USS Kittiwake.See Smeltzer's website or blog for more underwater photos and information. The pool is open...