Carlisle Bay, St. Michael, has a trio of wrecks. They are so close together you can visit them on a single dive, but it will take many dives to explore them thoroughly. The deepest is only 55 ft. at the stern-a 110-ft. freighter named Eillion. Sunk in 1998, this vessel sits upright on the sand, home to many schools of fish.
A cement boat named Ce-Trek sunk in 1986 is 40 ft. deep and covered with coral, sponges, and full of marine life. Grunts, snappers and hogfish swarm around the intact hull gathering in large numbers near the propeller and rudder. The clear, shallow water and absence of currents make the Carlisle Bay wrecks easy to dive.
Of the trio, the most famous is the Berwind, a French tugboat that sank in 1919 and now lies in only 25 ft. of water on top of a sandy slope. This tug is remarkably intact and is covered with a carpet of corals and sponges. The propeller is almost unrecognizable because the sponges cover and extend from the blades like large arms waving in the breeze. Almost all of the Caribbean sea anemones can be found on the Berwind, including Branching, Corkscrew, Sun, and Giant anemones. Seahorses, frogfish and batfish inhabit the recesses, so look closely as you're swimming around this hull.
Just outside Carlisle Bay is Friars Craig, a 165-ft. freighter that rests in 50 ft. of water. Broken into three pieces by rough seas, divers are warned not to penetrate this wreck to avoid being caught on jagged metal and debris.
Off the west coast is the Stavronikita, the 365 ft. Greek cargo ship that caught fire off Barbados in 1976. It was sunk two years later. Lying 135 ft. deep, it is only for experienced divers. The uppermost of her decks and superstructure attract a wealth of marine life that makes a magnificent dive. Described as a "super dive" with depths ranging from 130 at the huge prop to only 20 ft. at the top of the towering foremast, this is one experienced wreck divers won't want to miss.
Records show that 70 vessels have sunken off the coast of Barbados in the last three hundred years. There are two shallow wrecks, the 170-ft. freighter Pamir that rests upright and is only 25 ft. deep at the bow and 60 ft. deep at the stern. Farther south is another freighter, the Lord Combermere, filled with copper sweepers, parrotfish and all kinds of colorful coral and sponge growth.
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