Sea of Cortez · Mexico · Wreck · Artificial reef
C-59 Wreck
A scuttled navy hull in about 18 m of island water
Area photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0
The C-59 is a former American military vessel handed to the Mexican government and sunk deliberately to create an artificial reef off Isla Espiritu Santo, north of La Paz. She sits in about 18 m, shallow enough that ScubaGo lists the dive as suitable for Open Water as well as Advanced Open Water divers, and the hull now holds eels, Cortez angelfish and schools of sardines, grunts and snapper.
Where it is and how deep
24.4410° N, 110.3778° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is a short, shallow wreck dive rather than a deep one. ScubaGo puts the hull in 21 m (70 ft) of water and gives the same figure as 18 m, so plan for a bottom somewhere between 18 and 21 m and treat the deeper number as the working one. At that depth a single tank covers the ship comfortably, and the same listing rates the site for Open Water as well as Advanced Open Water divers.
What is on the hull is fish. ScubaGo records eels, Cortez angelfish, various surgeonfishes and schools of sardines, grunts and snapper on the wreck, which is the return on sinking a ship here on purpose: an American military boat was handed to the Mexican government specifically to create an artificial reef. No published source names her original class or gives a scuttling date, so treat anything beyond the depth and the fish as unbriefed until the operator covers it.
The wreck
- Vessel
- C-59
- Type
- Former American military vessel
- Cause
- Deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef
- Lies
- On the bottom in about 18 m of water off Isla Espiritu Santo, north of La Paz
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sea of Cortez: Water warms June-November for the best hammerhead and pelagic action at El Bajo; winter is cooler with rougher boat crossings.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the C-59 wreck?+
ScubaGo gives the depth as 70 ft, stated as 18 m in the same listing; 70 ft converts to about 21 m, so plan for a bottom between the two figures.
What certification do I need for the C-59?+
ScubaGo lists the site as suitable for Open Water or Advanced Open Water divers, which fits a wreck sitting at about 18 m with no required penetration.
Sources
- C-59 Wreck — ScubaGo — ScubaGo/SSI
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