Panama City Beach · United States · Wreck · Artificial reef
Black Bart
An upright supply ship with a swim-through wheelhouse at 12 m
The Black Bart is a 56-metre (185-foot) oilfield supply ship, christened Vulcano del Golfo in 1977 and sunk as an artificial reef off Panama City Beach in 1993. It sits upright in about 26 m (85 ft) of water, with an intact wheelhouse, an open deck and open cargo holds at three depths, and it is rated a good wreck dive for newer divers.
Also known as The Black Bart, Vulcano del Golfo.
Where it is and how deep
30.0608° N, 85.8239° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies 6.75 nautical miles out from St. Andrews Pass, sitting upright on the bottom with her bow pointing due south. The intact wheelhouse is at 12 m (40 ft), and divers can swim through it. The ship's head, complete with its toilet, and the galley, which still holds several appliances, can also be visited.
The main deck lies at 20 m (66 ft) along the ship's 56 m (185 ft) length. The cargo holds are open for exploration and reach 24 m (80 ft). Published depths at the wreck range from about 23 m (75 ft) to 26 m (85 ft). Working from the holds up to the deck and then the wheelhouse keeps the dive moving from deep to shallow before the ascent.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Black Bart (ex Vulcano del Golfo)
- Type
- Offshore oilfield supply vessel
- Length
- 56 m (184 ft)
- Built
- 1977
- Sunk
- 1993
- Cause
- Sunk deliberately as an artificial reef
- Lies
- Upright in about 26 m (85 ft), bow pointing due south
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 | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Panama City Beach: April to October is the main diving season; January and February bring water down to about 15 °C (59 °F).
Photos from Black Bart
Thespis377 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Black Bart 9 -10 -2009 · pcdivecenter on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Black Bart wreck?+
The wreck sits upright in about 26 m (85 ft) of water. The wheelhouse is at 12 m (40 ft), the deck at 20 m (66 ft) and the open cargo holds at 24 m (80 ft).
Where is the Black Bart wreck?+
It lies 6.75 nautical miles from St. Andrews Pass off Panama City Beach, Florida, and is dived from day boats.
Sources
- Black Bart - Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail — Florida Department of State
- Dive Locker — Dive Locker
- The Black Bart (Wreck) — Scubago
Photo credits
- Model skull and hand inside an algae-covered toilet bowl on a sunken ship floor by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Plastic skeleton with sea urchins on a rusted pipe inside a wreck, fish in green-blue water by Thespis377, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
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