Martinique · Martinique · Wreck
Roraima wreck
The largest wreck in Saint-Pierre bay, a steamship lost to the 1902 eruption
Photo: Marc Verstraete · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Roraima was a 104 m passenger and cargo steamship caught at anchor in Saint-Pierre bay by the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902; she burned for three days before sinking. She is the largest wreck in the bay and the most emblematic, with her bow at 36 m and her stern at 55 m, so every visit is a deep dive for experienced divers.
Also known as Roraima, Le Roraima, Epave du Roraima.
Where it is and how deep
14.7385° N, 61.1841° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Divers qualified to PE40 fly over the hull at 40 m and linger on the bow, the shallowest point at 36 m. Deeper-qualified divers start at the stern and its holds at 55 m, pass the engine room and its engine, and climb through the corridors under the arches toward the bow. The anchors lie further down, at 60 m.
The hull is very well preserved. Cousteau nicknamed her the white-haired wreck for the whip corals that now cover her, and French and queen angelfish are common around the structure.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Roraima
- Type
- Passenger and cargo steamship
- Length
- 104 m (341 ft)
- Built
- 1883
- Sunk
- 1902
- Cause
- Set ablaze by the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée; she burned for three days before sinking
- Lies
- About 300 m from shore in Saint-Pierre bay, from 36 m at the bow to 55 m at the stern
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Martinique: February to April is the best window; the wet season runs June to November, with cyclone risk in September and October.
Dive videos
Epave du Roraima - St Pierre - Martinique · frederic maunier on YouTube
Sources
- A Papa D'lo dive club — sites — A Papa D'lo
- Wrecks of Saint-Pierre harbor — Wikipedia
- Roraima (navire) — Wikipédia
- Saint-Pierre Wreck Dives Offer Undersea Journey to Martinique's Storied Past — Uncommon Caribbean
- Guide pratique de la plongée en Martinique — Lonely Planet
Photo credits
- Inside a wreck: an opening in the hull frames blue water above encrusted machinery covered in orange and pink growth by Marc Verstraete, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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