The San Juan, Grenada by Cathy Salisbury
This small 80-foot old fishing boat is a bit of a ruin. The midsection of the vessel is spread out over the ocean bottom. Only the strongest parts of the metal carcass still stands. But frankly, it is remarkable that anything at all remains of the San Juan that sank 45 years ago. Since 1975 when it sunk, the number of hurricanes that have come through Grenada is staggering. And each hurricane has taken its toll on the San Juan, even moving the wreck 1,500 feet on the sea bed.
The San Juan, Grenada by Cathy Salisbury
But we weren’t going diving on this shipwreck for its nautical features. We went to dive the San Juan because locally it is known as The Shark Wreck - a real magnet for shark life.
Descending the downline to the wreck, the first thing we saw were not less than 10 nurse sharks, posed on the sand near the bow. As we made a quick tour of the wreck, many of these sharks swam out on the sand, disappearing into the distance or into the inner bowels of the wreck.
The San Juan, Grenada by Cathy Salisbury
At the stern of the wreck was a stingray, posed on the sand. Schools of grunts and snappers covered the mid-section and lobsters were to be found under many pieces of the wreck. From out of the blue behind the stern of the wreck, a big school of Atlantic spadefish appeared, heading to the wreck to perform a ballet for us. Each fish swam in unison, creating a unified ball of silvery life that slowly danced its way to the bow. The show of marine life on this little wreck was astonishing!
The San Juan sits 2 miles of the Atlantic cast of Grenada in 90 feet of water.
The San Juan, Grenada by Cathy Salisbury
The San Juan, Grenada by Dominique Serafini
