Cristóbal Colón wreck (Bermuda)

Wreck

Depth: 4–18 mLevel: Open Water

A Spanish luxury liner of 152 m (499 feet) launched in 1923, the most advanced ship of her day. In November 1936 she ran onto the reef east of North Rock while sailing from Cardiff to Veracruz; she was carrying no passengers and all 160 crew were rescued. She is the largest shipwreck in Bermudian waters: the remains are spread over some 100,000 square feet of seabed, split on either side of the reef between 4 and 18 m.

Depth

4–18 m

Recommended level

Open Water

Current

Variable; exposed northern area

Did you know?

It sat stranded on the reef for years until, in the early 1940s, the US air force used it as a target for bombing practice, which finished breaking it apart. It also caused a second shipwreck: in 1937 the Norwegian cargo ship Iristo, whose captain did not know these reefs, was startled by the sight of the Cristóbal Colón's hull, ordered a turn and ended up striking another submerged reef.

Sources consulted: Go To Bermuda (turismo oficial); DIVE Magazine; bermuda.com; The Bermudian; Dive Bermuda at Grotto Bay