Bermuda Scuba Diving

The magnificent coral reefs and shallow wreck dives has made Bermuda a famous destination for divers from around the world all-year round. Four hundred square kilometers of reef is waiting to be explored, carrying an assortment of beautiful tropical fish and corals, and a large number of wrecks that can be found in the area mostly only being forty to fifty feet below the surface.

Bermuda scuba diving for wrecks is one of the best activities in Bermuda, some well-known wrecks that is more prominent than the others are two wrecks of ships that sank nearly eighty years apart, the Montana which was an English paddle wheel steamer that sank in 1863 five and a half miles off shore. The other is the Constellation, which was a four masted wooden schooner that sank on the hostile reefs of Bermuda while on traveling to Argentina from New York.

Another form of great Bermuda scuba diving that is becoming more popular is the helmet, where a diver goes underwater using a suit with a helmet attached and an air hose that goes out to the surface. Most of these helmet dives allows a diver to go around ten to twelve feet under water. Some of the most thrilling shipwreck and coral reef-dives aside from the Montana and Constellation include The Cristóbal Colón, The Hermes, L'Herminie, The Marie Celeste, The North Carolina, The Rita Zovetta, South West Breaker, Tarpon Hole, and The Tauton.

The Cristóbal Colón is the biggest known shipwreck in Bermuda waters. This Spanish luxury liner ran aground in 1936 on the northern reef in the middle of North Rock and North Breaker lying in nine to seventeen meters of water.

The Hermes was a steamer ship that rests in about twenty four meters of water about 1.6km off Warwick Long Bay on the south shore. This is one of Bermuda scuba diving favorites because of the incredible multi-colored variety of fish that populate the waters around the ship.

L'Herminie was a first-class sixty-gun French frigate and was on its way to France when it sank in 1838. The wreck lies off west side of the island with twenty five cannons still visible.

The Marie Celeste was a paddle-wheeler that sank in 1864 off the southern portion of the island and is overgrown with corals that stand about seventeen meters off the ocean floor.

The North Carolina is one of Bermuda's most vibrant and well-preserved wrecks that can be found off the western portion of the island. The stern, masts, bow, and rigging are all preserved and all sorts of colorful marine life home the wreck.

Bermuda scuba diving are one of the most thrilling experiences in Bermuda but tourists should always go with a guide because it is the best way to find the nicest areas to dive and because Bermuda scuba diving also requires a government licensed guide.