Sint Maarten · Sint Maarten · Wreck
Gregory
An upturned 33 m barge on 15 m of sand with lobsters inside and eagle rays over it
Area photo: Gillfoto from Juneau, Alaska, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Gregory is a 33 m transport barge lying upside down on 15 m of sandy bottom south of Long Bay. It is a shallow, straightforward wreck that is dived for its animals: barracuda, eagle rays and turtles around the hull, and slipper lobsters and lobsters in the spaces inside the upturned barge.
Where it is and how deep
18.0477° N, 63.1425° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat moors over the barge south of Long Bay and you descend to the sand at 15 m. The Gregory is upside down, so what you land beside is the flat bottom of a 33 m hull rather than a deck, and the dive is a circuit of that hull at seabed level. Being a barge she is simple in shape, which makes the site an easy one to navigate: keep the hull on one side and you will come back to where you started.
The spaces where the hull meets the sand are where to look. Inside the wreck live slipper lobsters and lobsters, tucked into the shelter the upturned barge provides, so bring a torch and check the gaps as you go round. Above and around the hull are barracuda, eagle rays and turtles, which Scubago singles the site out for rather than the barge itself. With a 15 m maximum there is plenty of time for a slow lap and a look inside before ascending to the boat.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Gregory
- Type
- Transport barge
- Length
- 33 m (108 ft)
- Cause
- Cause and date of sinking not published
- Lies
- Upside down on 15 m of sandy bottom, south of Long Bay
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Sint Maarten: Conditions vary little through the year; Jun–Nov is hurricane season and Dec–Apr plus Jul–Aug are the crowded months.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Gregory wreck?+
The barge lies upside down on 15 m of sandy bottom south of Long Bay, so the whole dive is within Open Water limits.
Sources
- Gregory — Scubago
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