At a depth of 25 feet, the visibility is so crystal clear, I can see my daughter, Sam, from several yards away. She’s gripping the underwater casing of her camera, aiming the lens at a huge propeller blade — just one of the fragments from Bermuda’s largest shipwreck.
As I make my way toward her, I am struck by the necessary chain of events that placed this chunk of steel in our path: Spanish workers building the Cristobal Colon about 100 years ago; a captain in 1936 mistaking a communications tower for a lighthouse and crashing the 499-foot luxury cruise liner into a reef; and the U.S. and British armies bombing the pillaged vessel as part of target practice during the Second World War, scattering its remains across a 100,000-square-foot area of ocean floor.
Marine disaster is in Bermuda’s DNA. Situated some 1,400 kilometres north of the Caribbean and about 1,000 kilometres off the coast of North Carolina, this subtropical island is shaped like a fish hook and bordered with pink-sand beaches. It was first settled by the British shortly after 1609, when the Sea Venture, a ship carrying emigrants and supplies from Plymouth, England, bound for Virginia, was blown off course in a hurricane, and all on board were marooned on its uninhabited shores. Today, the wreck and about 300 others collectively form a sort of fascinating, accidental underwater museum that lures divers from all over the world.
We’re exploring the Cristobal Colon, one of these exhibits, in the good hands of Dive Bermuda, an independent, local dive shop at Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa. Among its various courses and tours is today’s excursion: a wreck dive followed by a dive of North Rock, the island’s biggest coral reef preserve.
Although Sam and I are both licensed PADI divers, we’ve never suited up and explored the underwater world together. But the wreck and reef opportunities offered here lured us to this overseas British territory. Sam is more proficient at diving than I am, and neither of us is an expert, but the beauty of Bermuda’s wrecks is that they rest at various depths, with some so shallow even snorkelling enthusiasts can access them. The HMS Vixen, sunk in 1896, sits at 15 feet, with part of the bow above water; the Xing Da, sunk in 1997, rests at 110 feet.
Every wreck has a story, and since this is Bermuda Triangle territory, tales of the unexplained abound. What happened to the USS Cyclops, a battleship that disappeared in 1918, with 306 passengers and crew aboard? Or the Star Tiger, a plane that fell from the sky in 1948, leaving no trace of wreckage or the 31 souls it carried?
Perhaps spooked by the ghoulish tales I’d read on the Bermuda 100 Challenge, a website documenting 100 or so historic shipwrecks, at one point during our underwater adventure I lost sight of Sam and began to panic. As it turned out, she was directly below me — I had inadvertently floated upward.
Whether you’re exploring a wreck or a reef, expect the likes of jewelfish, sergeant majors, rock beauties and angelfish to accompany you. Although marine animals are not to be harmed, don’t be surprised if your dive guide suddenly spears a passing creature, as ours does. No doubt the quarry is a dreaded lionfish, an invasive species in these waters. Only specially licensed divers can destroy them, but happily, lionfish are a tasty lot, so they don’t die in vain.
A public ferry system helps get folks out on the water and around the islands, and some seaside hotels offer a complimentary water-taxi, but there are delightful ways to while away the days back on land, too.
One morning, Sam and I venture across the harbour to the capital, Hamilton, where we poke our heads into the boutiques — clothiers, jewellers, gift stores — lining Front Street. Our favourite is the Island Shop, owned by artist Barbara Finsness, which carries a pottery line she designed as well as her paintings and prints, alongside other international and locally made goods.
Later we board a city bus to Horseshoe Bay Beach, where we stroll beaches interspersed with hidden coves, the soft sand getting its colour from crushed coral and tiny foraminifera shells. After climbing limestone rocks and hiking the hilly coastal trail, we’re tuckered out and call a taxi at Warwick Long Bay.
One evening, Sam and I meet up with two locals and fall into a conversation about the benefits of diving. Taylor Barit, a record-holding spear fisher, speaks passionately about Kids on the Reef, a charity program that teaches Bermudian children how to free dive. She believes the sport helps kids understand the importance of protecting oceans. Rachel Sawden, a model and realtor, describes the impact diving had on her childhood. “I grew up on this tiny island,” she says, “and diving made my world a little bigger.”
But what makes diving shipwrecks so magical? Sam and I have a theory: In a traditional museum, artifacts are painstakingly selected and displayed, often behind ropes or glass. However, at a wreck site, the remnants of history have been placed, in some cases centuries ago, by the hand of fate.
Gliding over them evokes questions about one’s own destiny. How did we get here, my daughter and I wondered, some nine nautical miles off the coast of an island discovered by happenstance, taking pictures while miraculously breathing beneath the sea?
If you go
How to get there: Air Canada offers direct summer flights (2 hours and 40 minutes) from Toronto to St. George’s beginning in May. Depending on where you’re staying, a taxi ride from the airport is 10 to 45 minutes.
Where to stay: Newstead Belmont Hills is centrally located with harbour views, an infinity pool and the upscale restaurant Aurora. The Loren, an oceanside luxury boutique hotel offers its own beach and wellness spa to pamper guests. Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa is all-inclusive and family-friendly.
Where to dine: The upscale Blu Bar and Grill and Harbourfront (next to the Underwater Exploration Institute) skilfully prepare all manner of surf and turf as well as sushi. Offering a lovely oceanside ambience, the Pink Beach Club at the Loren features a wooden board showcasing where your dish was caught or harvested that day. Comfy cafes include Hamilton’s Brew and Devil’s Isle. Try Wahoo’s in St. George’s for a casual lunch on their patio.
What else to do: Bermuda’s original capital, St. George’s, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town features five of the island’s African Diaspora Heritage Trail sites, multiple 17th- and 18th-century landmarks, including St. Peter’s Church and Fort St. Catherine, and intriguing shops such as Long Story Short, a bookstore owned by Bermudian tour guide and writer Kristin White.
Writer Rebecca Field Jager travelled as a guest of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, which did not review or approve this article.
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