Dive· Anegada· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Horseshoe Reef Wrecks (Rocus, Astraea)
18° 41.6′ N · 64° 15.6′ W · approximate
Two of the reef's famous wrecks: the Rocus, a 380-ft steel steamer that hit the southern tip of Horseshoe Reef in 1929 carrying cattle bones from Trinidad to Baltimore (the 'Bone Wreck', bones still scattered around), and HMS Astraea, a Royal Navy frigate lost on the reef on 23 March 1808 after mistaking Anegada for Puerto Rico.
Practical
Position is the HMS Astraea infobox coordinate on Wikipedia (18°41'36"N, 64°15'33"W), which the article does not confirm as the exact wreck site; no published position for the Rocus was found (it lies on the southern tip of Horseshoe Reef). Rocus: stern in about 40 ft, lying on its starboard side with the bow broken up in shallow water; engine, boilers and winches recognisable; the missing propeller leaves a swim-through between rudder and keel, which is covered in orange cup coral and fire coral (Dreamwrecks). The site is a shallow coral labyrinth that is hard to find without local knowledge and has strong current in places; dive only in flat calm with a guide boat (easier to reach from Virgin Gorda). Astraea: rediscovered in 1967 by Bert Kilbride; heavy cannon remain, but tourists rarely dive it because the reef is so dangerous. Yacht Charter Fleet also lists the Parramatta (1859) at 10 to 30 m. Never take a yacht to these sites.
Best for
Experienced wreck divers with a local guide in flat calm
Season
Flat calm days only
Nearby
- Anegada Conch Mounds (Conch Island)1.1 NM away
- Nurse Romalia Smith Clinic3.6 NM away
- The Settlement (Anegada)3.6 NM away
- Horseshoe Reef3.7 NM away
- Horseshoe Reef Rules (No Anchoring, No Lobster Taking)3.7 NM away
- Faulkner House Museum3.8 NM away
- Flash of Beauty3.8 NM away
- Flash of Beauty Restaurant3.8 NM away