Curaçao · Curaçao · Artificial reef
Car Pile
Cars, trucks and a barge stacked down a slope into deep water
Area photo: LASZLO ILYES · CC BY 2.0
The Car Pile, off the Sunscape resort between Oswaldo's Drop Off and Pierbaai, is a dive site where cars and trucks were dumped in the sixties. A barge lies among them, and the wreckage carries on well past recreational limits, which makes it a deep dive and one of the island's oddest.
Also known as Car Pile - Marie Pampoen.
Where it is and how deep
12.0889° N, 68.9044° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The car wreckage begins at about 14 m (45 ft), with the more intact vehicles a little deeper. At 30 m (100 ft) a small barge rests on a sandy bottom, with more boat wreckage scattered around it.
Below the barge the cars and trucks continue considerably deeper. Technical divers find more at 60 m (200 ft) and beyond, while the site's listed depth range runs from 12 to 36 m (40 to 120 ft).
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Curaçao: Diving runs all year; October to February is the rainy season, and May to November brings warmer water and fewer crowds.
Dive videos
Diving at the Car Pile, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles · John Dohmen on YouTube
The Car Pile, Curaçao: Schools of Boga surveying the wreckage · Toronto Diver on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does the Car Pile need?+
Advanced. The barge lies at 30 m and the cars and trucks carry on below it, with wreckage at 60 m for technical divers.
Sources
- Car Pile Dive Site — Dive Curaçao
- Car Pile - Marie Pampoen (Wreck) — ScubaGo
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