The Sapona
Location: South of Bimini
Depth: 20 feet
If you're looking for a history lesson along with your marine biology one, the Sapona might be your best bet in all of the Bahamas. Built by Henry Ford in 1911, the 270-foot concrete cargo steamer was built to transport troops in World War I; however, its construction wasn't complete until the end of the war. With no sense of duty or purpose, the poor Sapona entered a life of crime--instead of being scrapped it was sold to a man named Bruce Bethel, who used the giant steamer as a rum runner and alcohol storage facility during Prohibition and had plans to transform it into a floating nightclub where patrons could gamble and booze up in private. Two years after its purchase, the Sapona was stricken by a hurricane, which drove the ship aground between Cat Cay and South Bimini, and the ship never fully descended beneath the surface. With most of its contents still visible, the U.S. Air Force used the ship as target practice around World War II, rendering its exterior completely bombed-out and decrepit, looking run-down and haunted like the true warship it never got to be. Today, the site of the Sapona is one of the most popular shallow dive wrecks in the Bahamas, particularly as a practice dive. An amateur explorer can easily stand in the abandoned engine room, or witness the countless bulletholes and leftover ammunition from its target practice days. There's lovely orange coral along the bow, and you can count on seeing giant lobsters and schools of hundreds of reef fish.
The Wreck of the Hesperus
Location: North Bimini Island
Depth: 15-20 feet
One of the most inviting aspects of shipwreck diving in the Bahamas is that you don't have to be a pro to take the plunge. The Hesperus, a cement barge whose name cheekily references the famous Longfellow poem, sits around north Bimini at just 15 feet below the surface--a depth that requires only a mask and snorkel. But just because the Hesperus is in shallow waters doesn't mean there's any lack of sights. By day, the reef plays host to dozens of species of fish including barracudas, snapper, mackerel and the shiny, rotund African Pompano, with the added potential
of catching a nurse or reef shark lurking for a meal. The sun creates a tunnel of light that allows a snorkeler a distinctly clear view of the ship's structure and spoils as well as its brilliant coral and living creatures without the need of a flashlight, which makes the area an ideal spot for underwater photography. As the sun sets, though, you'll probably want some form of illumination to get a glimpse of the half-dozen giant loggerhead turtles that find refuge (and dinner) underneath the Hesperus, certainly the biggest draw of the site. So if you're looking to swim with a wealth of marine life without donning a couple cans of oxygen or simply want a place where the whole family can ably catch a snapshot of some bright underwater life, the Hesperus is a good bet.Other shallow wreck to consider in the Bahamas: Sugar Wreck (West of Grand Bahama)
Tears of Allah Wreck / Vulcan Bomber Wreck
Location: New Providence
Depth: 45 feet / 40 feet
James Bond's freewheeling approach to international surveillance has literally helped put hundreds of beautiful tourism spots on the map, and the Bahamas is no exception. The 1983 Sean Connery comeback flick Never Say Never Again was essentially a remake of the classic Thunderball, and both used Bahamian sites for some thrilling shipwreck diving scenes. In its heyday, the ship Tears of Allah was a 90-foot, drug smuggling freighter that was intercepted by authorities and actually purchased by the producers of Never to be artificially sunk and used as a prop in the film. The site is now a popular dive for the moderately skilled and a good one for beginning scuba divers, particularly ones interested in underwater photography -- there is said to be virtually no current and great visibility in the artificial reef created by the phantom shipwreck, aiding in a nice view of the pretty but potentially dangerous lionfish and other wildlife.
Just nearby is another fallen movie prop, the Vulcan, which was created by producers of Thunderball to appear as a felled plane with steel pipes and a fiberglass sheet; now only the steel skeleton remains of the prop, making it more like a tent-like structure than a plane this day. Regardless, it makes for a fine dive site for its unthinkably bright coral and similarly good photography, often said to be one of the best underwater photography spots in the world. Scuba diving: just another life skill James Bond has mastered with ease.
Other moderate-depth wrecks to consider in the Bahamas: Wreck on the Wall (New Providence); Edmond Williams (New Providence, features a 'shark wall')
Theo's Wreck
Location: Grand Bahama
Depth: 100 feet
If you're willing to brave the greater depths, you're much more likely to find ships that are remarkably well-preserved -- almost as crisp as the day they sunk. A great example of a splendid Bahamian deep dive is Theo's Wreck, a 238-foot freighter near Grand Bahama that sunk in 1982 to 100 feet below the surface. Originally built in Norway in 1954 as the M/S Logna, the ship was set for a number of high-priced renovation projects until the funding was never received and the ship was set to be jettisoned into deep waters. Years at the bottom have turned Theo's into a beautiful garden of coral and sea fans, making it appear like some sort of marine revitalization art project. The front of the hull, which you can almost see clearly above the surface, is covered in bright orange false gorgonians. It's a veritable five-star hotel for marine life, offering all sorts of nooks to accommodate countless kinds of clientele. The impossibly radiant colors make Theo's Wreck a go-to night dive for experienced explorers, who seek out parrotfish, sharks, grunts, lobsters, rays and turtles. It's bar-none one of the best dives in the Bahamas, offering pure visibility and an exhilarating sightseeing experience.
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