Tanker wreck - Varadero

A 20 minute trip from the marina in Varadero on one of the fast dive boats will put you above the wreck of a substantial tanker.
With only the aft section still intact, don’t be worried about this dive site being limited. It is not, in any way!

Dropping down the shot line to 23 metres, you will be on the deck! The superstructure extends up above your heads, so even for those who are limited to 18 metres depth, there is still an opportunity to experience a big wreck in open seas!

Dropping down to 32 metres, the big prop is a great photo, with every blade covered in bright red corals. Around the hull, on the sandy bottom, large rays make their resting place, and looking up through the wreck, with the sunlight coming down in ribbons, is stunning.
Going inside the wreck is possible, but there isn’t much of an ‘inside’ if the truth be told. However, there is plenty of deck space with diveable nooks, crannies and holes to poke a torch beam into.

The marine life here is stunning – huge schooling spadefish, juvenile barracudas in large numbers, and the 6’ big daddies patrolling the perimeter of the deck too! Large morays of several different types hide under just about every joist, and you wont be disappointed with the coral growth either.

Gentle currents again wash the wreck, so food for the corals and fish is plentiful – this is an underwater equivalent of a drive-through food outlet, so it is worth keeping an eye on the blue too – nurse sharks are common on the nearby reefs, so who knows what might come by for a take-away!?

The shot-line makes a perfect place for the safety stop, and returning onto the decks of the big dive boats couldn’t be easier. Our tip: Persuade the dive guide to allow a second dive here – it is well worth it!