Divers can discover the crew’s quarters, the recompression chamber, ammunition lockers and even the heads (bathrooms) – complete with mirrors. This expensive and time-consuming process requires cleaning the ships of any and all environmental contaminants. By the time the ship was ready and the location chosen, hurricane season had begun. The 2020 edition of the Explore Cayman magazine is a 172 page full colour magazine. Garden eels make themselves at home in the sands surrounding the ship, which attracts southern stingrays and eagle rays. Kittiwake Dive Site in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It’s relatively shallow depth of Keel is at 60 feet, viability is typical Cayman 50-100 feet. The Kittiwake was constructed with high-quality steel, which would hold up to the rigors of life on the seafloor. USS Kittiwake The USS Kittiwake is a great scuba diving site that has now been on the reef for over eight years. . This fully penetrable wreck was sunk by divers for divers and is accessible to all levels of certified diver. When it was time to decommission High Island 389A, the nation’s only oil rig in a NOAA sanctuary, regulators strove to balance a diving attraction with environmental…. New Zealand is home to diverse dive sites, spectacular coastlines and pristine marine reserves. One of Kittiwake’s best-known stories came after the space shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. At 251ft, Kittiwake is the largest wreck dive in the Caymans. […] The first involved environmental regulations, which needed to meet the requirements of multiple government agencies including the Cabinet level in Cayman, the United States Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency. In September 2017, Hurricane Nate passed the island by over 350 miles. The Kittiwake also set a world record for the deepest submarine-rescue exercise, taking an officer and four others to a depth of 705 feet on September 13, 1959. Kittiwake, Grand Cayman Great for: wreck rookies One of the most popular and accessible wreck dives around the world, the 76.6m long Kittiwake was purpose sunk off Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach just a few years The KITTIWAKE is possibly the 'cleanest' wreck even to be sunk as an artificial reef. This is the latest addition to Grand Cayman’s arsenal of excellent wreck dive sites. The ship is ideal for first time wreck explorers: Purpose sunk off Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach in 2011, the 76.5m long Kittiwake was stripped clean of hazards before sinking. This is one of the easiest, clearest wreck dives you will ever see. The Most Popular Scuba Diving Stories of 2020, The Perfect Central California Dives to End a COVID Dry Spell. The Kittiwake is an impressive wreck dive located just off the ‘Public Beach West Bay Dock’ at the north end of Seven Mile Beach. At one point the entire 2,200-ton ship was dry-docked to replace 32 potentially PCB-laden rubber gaskets — the operation cost the project an additional $40,000. This professional cave diver treks through the remote Canadian Territory of Nunavut to scuba dive with the greatest predator in the Arctic. The USS Kittiwake is one of the best-known wreck dives in the Caribbean, if not the world. The USS Kittiwake, a 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, rests on a sandy bottom off Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. Wreck Dive - A Complete Tour of the USS Kittiwake Wreck in the Grand Cayman's - Duration: 29:00. TOW: December 17, 2010, the KITTIWAKE started her tow to Grand Cayman in a snow and ice storm; a tow that weathered rough winter seas for the better part of her 9 day journey, … All Staff supervising Free Divers must be capable of free diving to the maximum depth of the dive plan. We were extremely lucky this hurricane season as none of the named storms hit our beautiful island. Scuba Diving may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. I just dove there around Christmas. Barracuda, schools of horse-eye jacks, turtles and grouper also hang around the site. In 2011, she was scuttled off Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman to create a spectacular wreck dive that now attracts around 20,000 divers and snorkellers a year. The iconic wheel house had its panels removed after being damaged by a storm in early 2017. Many of the Kittiwake’s exploits are still classified, but there are some tales that have come to light about ASR-13 — such as these record-record breaking exploits listed by the crew in All Hands, the magazine of the United States Navy. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. To save money MARAD has devised an alternative method to remove ships from its ever-growing collection. MARAD gave the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) the green light — it would be their first ship donation to a foreign government — and Nancy Easterbrook, founder of Cayman’s Divetech and the project manager of this undertaking, came to pick out the perfect wreck. This Oil Rig is in a Sanctuary. Unique animal encounters, practical tips and Florida diving dominated Scuba Diving magazine’s most popular stories of 2020. It didn’t take her long. Dive into the history of Grand Cayman's Kittiwake, and learn how this WWII ship became a world-renowned scuba diving destination. Open-water divers are limited to the first three decks, but those with advanced certifications — such as a rescue diver or wreck-diver — can fully explore all five decks. After 49 years of service, Kittiwake was decommissioned in 1994 and mothballed to Norfolk, Virgina. While stationed off Key West, Florida, in 1963, Kittiwake picked up 12 Cuban refugees from the Jose Maria Perez, three of them children, and carried them safely to Key West. Another challenge was selecting the wreck’s final resting place. This U.S. law mandates that any ship donated for the purpose of becoming an artificial reef must be clean of hazardous materials such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos and lead-based paint. Plus: What divers should expect next time they plan a trip to Hawaii. But what made it the obvious choice for Easterbrook was its history. Environmental impact studies were done in order to protect Grand Cayman’s existing underwater environment — after all, what would be the point of creating an artificial reef if it were to destroy a natural one? Here’s why it’s not. It's pretty amazing. Kittiwake was impacted by Tropical Storm Nate in October 2017. There are several operators who can organise trips to dive or snorkel the Kittiwake. We generally dive the Kittiwake as the second dive of our two tank trip. The USS Kittiwake is a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship that served as an Auxiliary Submarine Rescue vessel (ASR-13) with the 6th Submarine Squadron, according to the ship database site hullnumber.com. Scuba divers often encounter large marine life such as sea turtles, grouper, stingrays and barracuda while visiting the Kittiwake. While being prepped for sinking, Kittiwake was made more accessible to scuba divers by cutting large holes in its hull and removing doors, hatches, bulkheads and other obstructions. The 251-foot, 2,200-ton ship was launched on July 10, 1945, and was decommissioned September 30, 1994. In some instances, the ship would act as a running target or recover practice torpedoes and mines. Sitting at a depth of 62ft in clear Caribbean waters, the Ex-USS Kittiwake is a former submarine rescue vessel that served in the US Navy from 1945 to 1994. Divers can visit the USS Kittiwake all year round, but may want to avoid the hurricane season (June through October). A PADI Worldwide Company. Mandatory Requirements - Dive Masters, Snorkel Guides & Vessels A map of the Kittiwake ship wreck … Wrecks You Can Dive To If All You Have Is Your Open Water Cert Diving has the ability to unlock portals to the past that we didn't even realize were sitting right below the ocean's surface, and these are the best. The Kittiwake has a max depth of 65 ft deep with the top of the wreck in around 15ft. Of course, its rescues weren’t limited to submarines. Wreck of The Gamma All Rights Reserved. During its 49 years of service the ship was deployed throughout the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Indian oceans. And that Australia's pink manta ray is awesome. When the Cayman Islands decided to add a shipwreck to its world-class scuba diving they reached out to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) for a vessel. A taste of what was to come.”, Renowned underwater explorer, Jill Heinerth trades caves for a chance to swim with polar bears in the Arctic. “She was a ship that served divers all of her life,” Easterbrook told CNN. Large holes were cut in its hull to create simple swim-throughs. near the Sand Chute dive site, close to Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. Map location, dive site tags, reviews, pictures, & weather. She is 77 meters long and will keep you well entertained with 5 decks, 2 bridges, a navigation room and a … Kittiwake accompanied submarines during sea trials and maneuvers where its crew would monitor dive operations and practice underwater-rescue procedures. The Department of Defense and the United States Coast Guard undertook a massive search for the space shuttle’s black box. The Kittiwake wreck now lays on her side. Red Sail Sports’ Wreck Anniversary Package invites customers to experience the Kittiwake with great discounts and extras that only the island’s premier resort operator can offer. Is it Better Removed or Made into a Reef? It's great for people who aren't too comfortable with penetration diving (me) because the openings are really large. The Kittiwake now sits in 75’ of water with the shallowest part of the wreck just 27’ below the surface. These substances were commonly used in ships built during World War II so the process of removing all of the paint and wires from the five-deck Kittiwake was a lengthy one. Cost for scuba diving is $10 per visit and $5 for snorkeling — you can also get an annual pass for $31.15 or lifetime pass for $250. One diver regains his stride in the beloved waters of California's Monterey and Carmel Bays. It is one of the Caribbean’s best-known and beloved wrecks — the Kittiwake.On January 5, 2011, the 251-foot-long ship was sunk in 60 feet of water near the Sand Chute dive site, close to Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. They will donate these derelict vessels to be used as artificial reefs to any state or county that can prove they will properly clean and responsibly tow and sink the ship at an approved site. The 47-foot-tall (14-meter) ship is at a depth of 62 feet (19 meters), so the top deck is close to the Caribbean Sea’s surface, … The Kittiwake is unique for a few reasons. 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