St. Croix · U.S. Virgin Islands · Wreck · Artificial reef
Butler Bay Wrecks
Three sunk ships and a retired underwater habitat in one bay
Area photo: NOAA Photo Library · CC BY 2.0
Butler Bay, on the sheltered west end 4.3 km (2.7 miles) north of Frederiksted, holds three shipwrecks, plus the Aegir underwater habitat and several Hess Oil trucks. The Northwind's wheelhouse tops out 5 m (15 ft) down and the Suffolk Maid sits upright in 60 to 80 feet (up to 24 m), so one site covers a beginner wreck and a deeper one.
Where it is and how deep
17.7501° N, 64.8897° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The Northwind is the shallow wreck: a 23-metre steel-hulled ocean tug (75 feet) whose wheelhouse tops out only 5 m (15 ft) below the surface, which makes it both a photographer's wreck and a sensible first one for newly certified divers. Barracuda, snapper, butterflyfish and angelfish meet divers over the hull, several species of wrasse, basslet and goby hold in the structure, and a large moray eel lives aboard. Green and hawksbill turtles are commonly seen in and around the wreck.
The Suffolk Maid is the deeper stop, a 44-metre steel-hulled North Sea trawler (144 feet) sitting upright on the bottom in 60 to 80 feet (up to 24 m) of water, a few hundred yards south of the Rosaomaira. Creole wrasse are the predominant residents on it, and a green moray comes to visit every now and then. Depth is what separates the two wrecks rather than distance, so the usual plan takes the trawler first and works back up the bay to the shallower steel.
The Virgin Islander, a 91-metre oil barge (300 feet) sunk in 1991, is the largest of the three. Sea fans and tubeworms have taken hold on it, schools of snapper and chub work the plating, several large grouper are resident, and stingrays hide in the sand beneath the hull. Scattered around the same bay are the Aegir underwater habitat and several Hess Oil trucks. The bay is sheltered from northerly swells and generally calm, though a slight current is to be expected, and visibility averages about 30 m (100 ft).
The wreck
- Vessel
- Suffolk Maid
- Type
- Steel-hulled North Sea trawler
- Length
- 44 m (144 ft)
- Sunk
- 1985
- Cause
- Driven into Frederiksted Pier in a 1984 hurricane, then cleaned, gutted, towed to Butler Bay and scuttled
- Lies
- Upright on the bottom in 60 to 80 feet (up to 24 m), a few hundred yards south of the Rosaomaira
The Suffolk Maid was driven into Frederiksted Pier during a hurricane in 1984, then cleaned, gutted, towed to Butler Bay and scuttled in December 1985. The Northwind, named after Mel Fisher's salvage boat from the Atocha recovery and used in the TV movie Dreams of Gold — The Mel Fisher Story, washed up in Frederiksted after Tropical Storm Klaus in 1985 and was sunk by Cruzan Divers in May 1986 as an artificial reef. The Aegir habitat was brought from Hawaii to replace NOAA's Hydrolab at Salt River, and was moved here when the project lost its funding.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
| 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 St. Croix: Nov–Jun is calmest and clearest; Aug–Oct is hurricane season, though the pier and shore walls stay divable in most weather.
Know before you go
- From the beach the wrecks are a strenuous 15 to 20 minute surface swim each way and current can run across the bay, so most divers take the boat or plan gas and energy for the swim back.
- The site spans a wheelhouse 5 m (15 ft) down and a trawler in 60 to 80 feet (up to 24 m), so a multi-wreck dive needs the deepest hull first and a proper safety stop on the shallow steel.
Dive videos
St. Croix Diving - West End - Butler Bay Wrecks · WaterTrek 360 on YouTube
Scuba Diving - Butler Bay Wrecks - St. Croix, USVI · Personal Memories on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can you dive the Butler Bay wrecks from shore?+
You can, and it is a popular shore dive, but it means a strenuous 15 to 20 minute surface swim in each direction with the chance of current. Most divers take a boat, which is the way the site is normally run.
How deep are the Butler Bay wrecks?+
They span the recreational range. The Northwind's wheelhouse is only 5 m (15 ft) below the surface, while the Suffolk Maid sits upright in 60 to 80 feet, about 18 to 24 m, which is the deepest of the group.
Sources
- Shallow Wrecks at Butler Bay — GoToStCroix.com
In The Logbook
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
- Why is the sea blue? Water filters out redOcean science · 7 min read
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