Bayahibe · Dominican Republic · Wreck · Artificial reef
St George
Top of the wreck at 15 m, bow on the sand at 44 m
Area photo: Pc.wiki4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A 73 m cargo ship built in Scotland in 1962 to carry grain, abandoned in Santo Domingo harbour after twenty years of service and sunk deliberately off Bayahibe on 12 June 1999 to make an artificial reef. She lies 800 m off Dominicus beach, with the top of the wreck at 15 m, the stern at 31 m and the bow on the sand at 44 m.
Also known as MV Norbrae.
Where it is and how deep
18.3403° N, 68.8225° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The top of the wreck is at 15 m, which is where the descent ends and where a good part of the dive is spent: encrusting coral and sponge have taken the plates and the superstructure, queen angelfish work the structure, and barracuda hold off it in the numbers people remember the site for.
Below that the ship falls away along its length — the stern sits at 31 m and the bow on the sand at 44 m — and how much of that you take in is decided by the plan you came down with. She is 73 m long, so covering her end to end at depth is not a recreational proposition; operators pick a section, work it, and come back up.
Visibility runs roughly 10 to 25 m depending on conditions, which on a wreck this size decides whether you get the whole silhouette at once or read her piece by piece. Divers who want the lot come back for it: a single dive covers a section, and regulars here make two or three across a trip to see the whole ship.
The wreck
- Vessel
- St George
- Type
- Cargo ship
- Length
- 73 m (240 ft)
- Built
- 1962
- Sunk
- 1999
- Cause
- Sunk deliberately as an artificial reef on 12 June 1999
- Lies
- 800 m off Dominicus beach, top of the wreck at 15 m, stern at 31 m and bow on the sand at 44 m
Built in Scotland in 1962 to carry grain and originally named MV Norbrae, she ran transatlantic cargo between Norway and the Americas for twenty years before being laid up in Santo Domingo harbour. She was renamed St George after Hurricane Georges struck the Caribbean in 1998, and was sunk off Dominicus beach on 12 June 1999 to make an artificial reef. The site now sits inside the national park, where fishing is not permitted.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Bayahibe: January to April is the driest stretch and October the wettest; Atlantic hurricane season runs June to November and peaks from late August into September.
Know before you go
- The bow is on sand at 44 m and the deck invites you deeper than planned; agree a maximum before you leave the boat rather than on the way down.
- Interior spaces are overhead. Penetration beyond the light needs wreck training, a line and a torch each.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the St George wreck?+
The top of the wreck is at 15 m, the stern at 31 m and the bow on the sand at 44 m. Most operators plan a level in the 30 to 40 m band rather than working the full range on a single dive.
What certification do you need for the St George?+
Advanced Open Water. The working depth on the wreck is 30 to 40 m, which is past Open Water limits, and the bow lies on the sand at 44 m.
Sources
- St George dive site — PADI
- St George Wreck — Diving Dominican Republic
- Saint George wreck — Tribloo
- St. George Wreck — Blue Dreams Diving
More dive sites in Bayahibe
Wreck
A whole ship at 12 m, in water bright enough to read it from above
Wall
A 6 m coral slope that reaches an edge and drops away
Reef
A FUNDEMAR coral nursery and sunken statues at 12 m
Cave & cavern
Taíno artefacts in place in a 9 m freshwater cave
Reef
A park reef 25 minutes out, split into three dive points
Reef
Cannons and a musket rack set out on a park reef
Similar dives elsewhere
A 49 m freighter sunk as a reef, upright at 40 m
Three sunk ships and a retired underwater habitat in one bay
A 1944 US Navy minesweeper, split in two at 26 metres
A 100 m cable layer with a 40 m cable corridor through her hull