WreckMarine Protected Area

Hilma Hooker (Bonaire)

Near Bonaire

Depth: 18–30 mLevel: Advanced Open WaterAll year round

Bonaire's largest wreck: a steel-hulled freighter of some 235 feet lying on her starboard side, wedged between two reefs. There are three descent buoys: one over the reef at about 6 m, one at the bow at around 24 and a third at the stern at around 20.

Depth

18–30 m

Recommended level

Advanced Open Water

Average visibility

25 m

A freighter sunk in 1984 after being seized with a cargo of marijuana; today one of the most dived wrecks in the Caribbean.

Protection status

Bonaire National Marine Park (STINAPA), established in 1979 and with national park status since 1999; it covers the waters from the high-water mark down to a depth of 60 m. Klein Bonaire was added as a protected nature reserve in 2001

Did you know?

Her fame owes as much to the story of the sinking as to the diving. The ship docked in Bonaire in 1984 for a quick repair and the authorities discovered a cargo of marijuana hidden behind a false bulkhead. That was the end of her career as a smuggler and the start of her career as an artificial reef. Sources disagree on the quantity seized, so it is best not to settle on a figure.

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (Bonaire National Marine Park) · bonaire.com · STINAPA · Scuba Diving Magazine · bonairepros.com

Location

Loading map…

1 park within 30 km.