Dive· Barbuda· Leeward Islands
Barbuda Reef Wrecks
17° 32.5′ N · 61° 44.0′ W · approximate
Barbuda is so flat that ships have been striking its reefs for centuries, and hundreds of wrecks from the era when Britain, France and Spain fought over the Caribbean lie around its coast. Spanish Point is named for the merchantman Santiago de Cullerin, lost off the point in 1695.
Practical
Coordinate approx: a representative point off Spanish Point, where the Marine Guide says you may come across some of the many wrecks; wrecks are found around the whole coast. All historic wrecks are mapped and protected under the Marine Areas Act. Get local advice and permission from the Barbuda Council before diving them, and take nothing. Currents around the wrecks can be dangerous. There is no dive centre on Barbuda. Tanks can be hired or filled at the Fisheries building or other local outlets, and the usual way to dive is with a local diver as guide (Barbudaful). The ArtCafe has sold a wreck map. For a full-service dive operation, dive in Antigua. Named losses: the Spanish merchant Santiago de Cullerin (1695) off Spanish Point (see its own entry). The Royal Navy storeship HMS Woolwich and her convoy merchant ship Vine were both driven ashore on Barbuda in a gale on 11 September 1813, with all hands saved. No individual wreck on Palaster Reef is named in any published source we could verify, so ask the Council or the Fisheries office.
Best for
Guided wreck snorkelling and diving for self-sufficient divers