The Twin Tugs, Carriacou by Dominique Serafini
In Carriacou near Mabouya Island, two ocean going tugboats are sitting within a short distance of one another in less than 100 feet of water. Both are around 100 feet long.
To create artificial reefs and different dive sites, the Carriacou authorities have sunk a series of old out-of-service Grenada tugs. After being cleaned, these tugs were sunk on sandy bottoms at a depth accessible to divers.
But why tugboats? They can resist the waves and the ocean swell that break more fragile metal boats to pieces or gnaws away at wooden hulls. Also, thanks to their flat bottoms, tugboats are stable on the ocean floor and remain upright and vertical, giving the diver a sense that the underwater tug is ready to set sail.
The Westsider was sunk in 2004 and The Boris was sunk 3 years later in 2007. Their metallic structures have become decorated with corals, sponges and gorgonians. On the bridge and in the holds, schools of small fish have concentrated which in turn, has attracted predatory barracudas and sharks to the bridge. As with many sites in Grenada and Carriacou, the current can sometimes be strong, which adds to the diversity of life that you can see on the wreck.
In 2018 the 130 foot tugboat called the Mammoth Troll was also sunk in the waters close to the Twin Tugs. Penetration is possible into various sections of the vessel, and there is a great swim-through running the length of the superstructure.
