A 50-metre freighter (165 feet) put down in 1986 as an artificial reef by the Department of Fisheries, lying in 20 m of water in the middle of Anse Cochon bay, twenty minutes by boat up the coast. Bow and stern are both open to divers, and the hull now carries soft coral, sponges and hydroids with turtles and juvenile fish over it.
Also known as Lesleen M Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
13.9273° N, 61.0590° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The run is twenty minutes by boat from Anse Chastanet and the wreck sits in the middle of Anse Cochon bay, in 20 m of water — shallow enough that the whole ship is one dive rather than a choice of ends. Divers work the bow and the stern, the two parts of the 50-metre freighter (165 feet) that are open to explore, with the length of the hull between them as the way back.
The hull is the reef now. Soft coral, sponges and hydroids cover the steel, juvenile fish use the structure and turtles move across it, while schools of fish hold over the wreck and lobsters and octopuses live on it. The Department of Fisheries sank the ship for exactly this, so the growth it carries is as much the dive as the ship itself.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Lesleen M
- Type
- Cargo freighter
- Length
- 50 m (164 ft)
- Sunk
- 1986
- Cause
- Deliberately sunk as an artificial reef by the Department of Fisheries
- Lies
- In 20 m of water in the middle of Anse Cochon bay
The Lesleen M was a 50-metre cargo ship (165 feet), sunk deliberately in 1986 as part of an artificial reef project run by St. Lucia's Department of Fisheries, and she came to rest in 20 m of water in the middle of Anse Cochon bay. The project worked: the hull carries soft coral, sponges and hydroids, and it holds the juvenile fish, turtles and the predators that follow them. She is one of two artificial-reef wrecks in the bay, joined in 2018 by the fishing vessel Vicky B a few minutes away.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime |
Season follows St. Lucia: December–April is the dry season with the calmest seas; September–October carry the highest hurricane risk.
Dive videos
Wreck Diving The Lesleen M In St Lucia - St Lucia Kids Sea Camp · Blue Horizon Diving on YouTube
LESLEEN M WRECK DIVE SITE, SAINT LUCIA 360 · SAINTLUCIA360 on YouTube
Dive Site Lesleen M Wreck · Scuba Steve's Diving, Rodney Bay, St Lucia on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Lesleen M?+
The wreck lies in 20 m of water in the middle of Anse Cochon bay, so the whole ship — bow, hull and stern — sits within one recreational dive.
How do you get to the Lesleen M?+
By boat. It is a twenty-minute ride from the Anse Chastanet waterfront, and the wreck sits in the middle of Anse Cochon bay on St. Lucia's west coast, a few minutes from the Vicky B.
Why was the Lesleen M sunk?+
She was sunk deliberately in 1986 as an artificial reef project by St. Lucia's Department of Fisheries. The hull has since grown over with soft coral, sponges and hydroids and become a dive site in its own right.
Sources
- Scuba St Lucia (Anse Chastanet Resort) — Scuba St. Lucia
- Anse Cochon, St. Lucia — Yacht Warriors
- The Lesleen M & Vicky B Wrecks! — LSD Scuba
- Anse Cochon — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
- Your first wreck dive: what to expect and whereFirst dives · 6 min read
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