Reefwander
Cumberland Bay with the houses of San Juan Bautista along the shore below steep forested ridges, small boats moored offshore — Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández)

Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández) · Santa Clara, Chile · Wreck

Miraflores Wreck

A 1921 wreck off Santa Clara at 36 m, carrying a dense bank of life

Area photo: Richard N Horne · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Miraflores is a ship that sank off Santa Clara, the small island beside Robinson Crusoe, in 1921 and now lies at 36 m. The wreck holds a dense bank of life, and it is a dive for advanced divers with deep certification only, reached by a boat crossing of more than an hour from San Juan Bautista.

Also known as Naufragio del Miraflores.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Miraflores Wreck: typical dive to 36 m (to 118 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit36 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández) and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The Miraflores takes a full day out. It lies off Santa Clara, the small island beside Robinson Crusoe, and the boat crossing from San Juan Bautista takes more than an hour. By comparison, Sal Si Puedes in Cumberland Bay is no more than 20 minutes from the village and the bay at Tres Puntas about 40 minutes.

The ship sank in 1921 and now rests at 36 m, where it holds a dense bank of life. The depth sets the terms of the dive: only advanced divers who also hold a deep-diving certification are taken down, and divers without the deep qualification can take the specialty on the island first if they qualify.

The wreck

Vessel
Miraflores
Type
Ship; type not published
Sunk
1921
Cause
Unknown — no published account of the sinking has been found
Lies
Off Santa Clara at 36 m

Marine life and season

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

Month-by-month season rating for Miraflores Wreck
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFair

Season follows Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández): Flights from Santiago run mostly in January and February and seldom outside November to March; January to March is also the warmest water.

Questions divers ask

How deep is the Miraflores wreck?+

The Miraflores rests at 36 m off Santa Clara, and only advanced divers with a deep-diving certification are taken to it.

How long is the boat ride to the Miraflores wreck?+

The crossing from San Juan Bautista on Robinson Crusoe to the wreck off Santa Clara takes more than an hour, and the boat returns to the village around the other side of the island.

Sources

  1. Buceos Guiados — Archipiélago Expediciones

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