Oro Verde Shipwreck

By Author: John Whisner
Total Articles: 3
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The Oro Verde shipwreck in Grand Cayman continues to be a much loved site for scuba divers from the time when the ship was sunk on May 31, 1980 by the Cayman government. The ship a 131-foot 692-ton freighter lies in about 50 feet of water a short distance off Seven Mile Beach. This shipwreck has deteriorated considerably since her sinking, mainly as a result of several hurricanes which have hit the Cayman's within the last 30 years. The debris field these days is strewn over a broad area and only the bow section remains in one piece.Read more about the history about the ship and background of the Oro Verde ...
... on Steven Smeltzer's blog and view the full underwater picture gallery on Smeltzer's website.Details of the diveThis shipwreck and adjoining reefs are home to a number of marine life including, fishes, Sea Turtles, corals and crustaceans, creating one of the most visited "second site" dives in Grand Cayman, often visitied subsequent to a deeper wall dive or on a night dive. While the ship was in perfect condition when it was sunk along with lying on her starboard side in the sand near to a patch of coral reef, the wreck's finer details have since given way with the passing of time; previous hurricanes have broken, rolled and scattered the shipwreck across a large debris field nearer to the reef. Still, theOro Verderemains a great example of a thriving artificial coral reef. A buoy is attached to the bow section which is the only remaining intact part of the wreck. Although you can no longer enter the shipwreck but you can look into the bow section via a couple of port holes.. The debris field flows primarily from the bow section to the north along the coral reef. The diver may choose to use all or part of the dive on the shipwreck and/or a portion of the dive exploring the reef. There is a wide variety of reef marine life such as Silversides (seasonally), Sergeant Majors, Angelfish, Schoolmasters, Parrotfish, large groupers and moray eels as well as crustaceans such as the arrow crab and rough file clams. This can be a very good dive and it's always particularly good as a night dive due to the diversity of fish and other marine animals that are on the site. The Oro Verde lies about 100 yards off shore so advanced scuba divers in great physical shape can get to it as a shore dive but with the extended swim and requisite dive flags and floats due to offshore boat traffic, why bother? Every one of the local scuba diving operators are going to be happy to take you to the Shipwreck on a morning, afternoon or on a night dive. It is definitely recommended to dive this shipwreck regardless of whether it is the first time or if you have been diving on the wreck previously. The dive site is continuously changing and the marine species on the dive site continually make for an compelling dive. Review photographs of other shipwrecks in Grand Cayman such as the Doc Poulson and the USS Kittiwake.Visit Smeltzer's website or blog for additional underwater photos and information. The pool is open...