The Hilma Hooker was a 236 foot long cargo vessel and was built in Holland in 1951. The ship was passing by Bonaire in 1984 when it encountered some rudder problems and was towed to the Bonaire Pier for assistance. Customs and authorities immediately had the ship searched when the captain could not provide the proper papers, and they discovered 25,000 pounds of marijuana hidden between false bulkheads onboard. The drugs were confiscated and the ship remained tied to the pier for months while the authorities tried to track down the owner of the vessel.

As the ship was evidence in a legal case against the owners of the vessel for drug trafficking, the vessel could not be touched despite several pleas and pettitions by divers to have the ship sunk as a dive attraction. After many months of being tied to the pier with no maintenance, it’s weak hull began to have some minor leaks and take on water. In September 1984, the authorities fearing that it would sink, consulted local divers and the Tourist Bureau and towed the Hilma Hooker to  permanent anchorage just off the shore where if the ship would sink, then there would be minimal affect to ship’s navigating the reef and coral damage.

The Ship eventually sunk in early September 1984 and came to a rest at 90 feet of water falling sideways on to her starboard side. Divers immediately flocked to the wreck, which unfortunately was never made diver friendly as it wasn’t intentionally sunk.  Local dive operators got together and made the wreck safe for recreational divers, by cutting the doors, breaking cables and drilling holes in the vessel to allow the air to escape.

The location of the wreck makes this dive easily accessible from the shore and requires 5-6 minutes of swimming toward the buoys first before descending to the wreck’s hull which is just 60 feet below the surface. Visibility is supposedly incredible throughout the year and a large variety of fish and larger barracuda have made the wreck their home.

Beginners can remain at 60 feet near the Hull of the wreck, and intermediate divers can explore the open passageways at 70 feet or so. Wreck penetration is reserved only for the very experienced divers, owing to the depths involved and condition of the wreck itself. The ship has several dangerous areas such as the engine rooms and large open cargo holds where visibility is poor and floating debris still poses a risk to divers. Divers planning to explore the deeper sections of the Hilma will need dive lights, and Nitrox Divers can use EAN32 Nitrox mixes which are available at the island.

Overall the Hilma Hooker is a must do dive for anyone visiting the divers paradise of Bonaire. Watch out for your air and bottom time, as the minutes fly like seconds once down there exploring this massive ship, and be prepared for the reasonably long surface swim.

photos from flickr by: kah_adiving, sniffette, aa7ae, Dan Hershman,

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Dive the Wreck of the Hilma Hooker Bonaire was written by Nevin for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

(*Photo by dMap Travel Guide on flickr)

Caribbean diving is an absolute pleasure with consistently good water conditions for diving along with a well developed infrastructure to back the sport. The diving here caters to all level of divers right from beginners to advanced and specialty divers. From Blue Hole diving in Belize and the Wall at Northwest Point Drop-off in the Grand Cayman to the shallow reefs and colorful fish of Bonaire or the amazing shipwrecks of Aruba, it’s hard to narrow down the best spots to dive just because of the sheer number and variety of amazing diving in the region.

For a start though, here some of the most popular and visibly rewarding dive destinations or dive spots in the Caribbean:-

Cayman Islands
Rated by many publications as the best place to dive in the Caribbean, the Grand Cayman a part of the Cayman Islands is also ranks 3rd on PADI Network’s list of favorite Scuba destinations. This world class dive destination has sites such as the Strawberry Sponge Wall, Snapper Reef and the MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts Wreck in Cayman Brac, Little Cayman’s Bloody Bay Wall ranked as one of the top five dive sites in the world and so many more. It’s quite popular for non-diver sites too like Stingray City, where you can float through shallow waters and come face-to-face with stingrays the size of table tops.

(*Photo by Gronberg on flickr)

Bonaire
World renowned for its excellent Scuba diving and consistently rated among the best diving and locations in the world, Bonaire is surrounded by highly accessible reefs that are in the most pristine conditions ever. This environmentally conscious island and diving industry has ensured that the reefs remain untouched from poaching and pollution. This underwater volcanic mountain, the tip of which is visible as the island has with fringe reefs right off the beach of every hotel on any part of the island.

For more on Bonaire read: Bonaire – A Divers Paradise

(*Photo by Scuba_thib on flickr)

Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Ranked as the 6th Best dive site by the PADI network, Cocos Island is a live-aboard only dive destination as it’s situated some 300 miles off the main coast of Costa Rica. A must dive site for those shark diving enthusiasts, it’s a unique spot to dive with literally hundreds of hammerhead sharks. You can also swim with dolphins, tuna, gigantic marble rays and even whale sharks here making it a must dive destination for any diver.

Curacao, Dutch Caribbean
Located in the southwest Caribbean, part of the Dutch Caribbean is Curacao another Dive haven. Ranked 5th by the PADI Networks best dive destinations, it’s drop offs, large variety of marine life and topography make it a destination worth visiting. Like Bonaire, the reefs and Islands are among the best maintained and cared for from pollution and other harm.

Cozumel, Mexico
Ranked no. 1 by PADI as a top dive destination, Cozumel is both a luxury resort destination coupled with fantastic diving. The visibility and good diving infrastructure draw divers to the island by the thousands. However, because of strong currents the dive sites are more suited for experienced or advanced divers. Manta rays and whale sharks are a common sighting and special dives for the same are conducted. Cozumel is also popular for it’s impressive wall dives with brilliant colors and sea life have people raving that it’s the best diving of their lives. The Chankanaab Lagoon, is one of the most visited sites on the island where divers and snorkelers can observe small coral and limestone formations at 6 to 30 feet / 2 to 9 meters.

(*Photo by connermajik-e on flickr)

Belize, Blue Hole- Lighthouse Reef

More for an adventure dive rather than for the reef or marine life, the Belize Blue Hole is a World famous dive site and geological site. The almost perfectly circular Blue Hole was created by what was a dry cave system in the Ice Age and is an amazing sight from an areal view. The caves have stalactite formations where reefs is at 110 feet and you can often see hammerhead sharks lurking in the shadows. More a thrill for it’s inky blue depths and upward view of a passage to the sky, the Blue Hole is a hotspot for divers. When it comes to Blue Hole Diving, the Belize Hole is the most well known of the lot. Also Read: Blue Hole Diving

Turks and Caicos Islands
PADI’s 7th favorite dive spot, these islands provide a rich assortment of relatively unexplored underwater sites, including sea lanes where boaters and divers often spot whales. Along with miles of reefs brimming with marine life, the islands also have some great wreck diving of their coasts. The HMS Endymion which sunk in 1790 is one such wreck. The reefs also feature some deep sea drop offs where the walls plunge into inky black depths of more than 2,100 meters (6,900 ft.).

The Most Rewarding Dive Spots In The Caribbean was written by Noreen for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World

The Bonaire National Marine Park extends to 200 ft (60 meters) of depth; it covers an area of 6672 acres, or 27 km², and forming one of the greatest snorkeling and dive reefs in the world. There are over 55 species of coral that can be found along the one, almost continuous fringing reefs along with countless species of marine life that inhabit them.

The greatest attraction at the Bonaire Marine Park is simply the sheer variety of ecological systems you can explore and dive in, all while at one destination.  From expansive coral reefs, to mangrove forests, sea grass beds, and lagoon areas, all form part of the marine park diving experience.

Admission to the marine park is managed by STINPA – Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire which is a non-governmental, non- profit foundation. All users of the waters of the Bonaire National Marine Park are required to pay an entrance fee of $25 for SCUBA divers and $10 for non-SCUBA divers for one calendar year. Day passes are also available at $10 for one day of SCUBA diving. Divers visiting the park are required to attend the Marine Park’s orientation sessions which are conducted each day on the island for new visitors which help them get acquainted with the park and its rules and regulations.

The island’s location in the south Caribbean gives it an arid climate with little rain fall; consequently, the waters are exceptionally clear of silt, calm, and diveable all year round. It is an ideal destination for underwater photographers. It’s no wonder that over 55% of visitors to Bonaire are repeat visitors.

Bonaire – A Divers Paradise was written by Nevin for Aquaviews - SCUBA Blog - Bringing You The Other 70% Of Our World