Reefwander

Eleuthera · Bahamas · Wreck

Train Wreck

Train wheels and boiler plates from an 1865 barge wreck in 5 m

A shallow wreck dive on the cargo of an 1865 shipwreck: a barge carrying a steam locomotive and rail cars sank in a storm, and what it carried now lies scattered in 5 m (15 ft) of water. Wheels, trucks and boiler plates make it an easy first wreck, comfortably within recreational limits.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Train Wreck: typical dive to 5 m (to 15 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit5 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Eleuthera and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The Train Wreck is a debris field rather than a hull. Train wheels, trucks and boiler plates lie scattered across the bottom in 5 m (15 ft), with pieces of the wooden structure among them. At this depth there is no deep section to plan around, and the dive is spent moving slowly from one piece of the locomotive and its rail cars to the next.

The cargo is what makes the site: a steam locomotive and rail cars bound for a sugar plantation in Cuba, carried on a barge that was struck by a violent storm and went down with everything aboard. Visibility on this coast runs 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft), even in the rainy season.

The wreck

Vessel
Barge carrying a steam locomotive and rail cars
Type
Cargo barge
Sunk
1865
Cause
Struck by a violent storm and sank with its cargo
Lies
Scattered as wheels, trucks, boiler plates and wooden structure in 5 m (15 ft)

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Train Wreck
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairFairFairFairGoodGood

Season follows Eleuthera: Diveable all year. Rain falls May to October in storms of a day or two, and sharks are seen most in the cooler winter months.

Questions divers ask

How deep is the Train Wreck in Eleuthera?+

The remains of the locomotive and rail cars lie in 5 m (15 ft) of water, comfortably within recreational limits.

Sources

  1. Diving in Eleuthera: wrecks, reefs, walls and drifts — Dive The World

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