On towards the stern. We pass through more of the debris of the midship. And then find what used to be the top of the super structure in the sand. The amount of SPONGES on this wreck is mind boggeling. At the stern we find tons of fish. And then we hit the aft gun of the wreck, with a funny prop inside. I'm sure someone had fun making that little piece! Back on deck to view more of the top side of the wreck with huge amounts of fish covering it everywhere you look. A nice look at the turbine again from the opposite angle before we go off to the starboard side of the wreck and head towards the stern.
This ship was given to Cuba from Russia after being built in 1984. Cuba ended up having no use for it and sold it to the Cayman government whose sole purpose was sinking it as a dive destination. Jean-Michel Cousteau was there for the cleaning and sinking and went down with the wreck in 1996. It is approximately 330 feet in length. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan pretty much tore the ship in half. The bow now rests on its port side. The mid section is wide open showing a huge turbine engine. The aft part of the ship is mostly upright with a bit of a tilt to port. The two gun turrets are still intact, one fore and one aft. The top of the super structure now lies in the sand on the port side as well. It has weathered many storms, but is still a great dive!
#caymanbrac #scuba #reefdivers