Eagle Beach scuba diving - a reason for your vacation
Southwest of Malmok Reef, the mangled midsection is all that remains of the Pedernales, an American flat-bottomed oil tanker torpedoed by a German submarine in 1942. Cabins, washbasins, lavatories, toilets, and pipelines are scattered about for easy viewing. The bow and stern were hauled back to the United States, refitted with a new hull, and used to transport troops for the Normandy invasion. Chunks of the hull, supports, and cross beams litter the sandy bottom. The wreckage attracts caesar grunts, squirrelfish, trumpet fish, groupers, parrotfish, angelfish, silversides, and yellowtail snappers. Keep an eye open for snake eels and spotted eagle rays, too. White tunicates and orange cup corals coat the metal undersides. At a depth of only 6 to 9m (20-30 ft.), the Pedernales is popular with novice divers and snorkelers. Off the coast of Oranjestad, Harbor Reef features an abundance of hard and soft coral formations, including giant brain coral and orange, black, and blue sponges. Nearby, the aging pilot boat wreck is encrusted with sponges and brain, star, and sheet coral. The queen angels, parrotfish, and Spanish hogfish bathe the 11m (36-ft.) vessel in fiesta colors, while a barracuda and a pair of green morays keep divers alert. You may also spot the occasional stingray or spotted eagle ray. Two twin-engine aircraft wrecks -- both unclaimed drug runners -- which used to form an artificial reef 46m (151 ft.) from Renaissance Island's main beach, were washed away in a November 2004 storm. The landing gears and engines of one can be found amid the mangroves on the back side of Renaissance Island. The wrecks were replaced by a vintage 1970s Aruba Airlines passenger jet that was sunk 26m (85 ft.) down. The plane sits in take-off position; the airline logo on the outer hull is still legible. In only 4m (13 ft.) of water and a bit farther off Renaissance Island's main beach, a sunken barge with crowds of swarming fish is also perfect for snorkeling. Nearby, Sponge Reef is the home of a remarkable array of sponges, including orange elephant ears, purple and yellow tubes, vases, and small baskets. Interesting leaf and plate coral formations are also found in the area. Farther east but still only 6.4km (4 miles) southwest of Oranjestad, Barcadera Reef stretches from depths of 6 to 27m (20-89 ft.), accommodating both divers and snorkelers. Dense clusters of elkhorn, staghorn, and finger corals populate the reef, and along the sandy bottom, brain corals and huge sea fans hold sway. Wrasses, scorpionfish, blue and stoplight parrotfish, damselfish, and pink-tipped anemones also set up housekeeping in the area. West of Barcadera Reef at a depth of 27m (89 ft.), the Jane Sea wreck rests in a thick grove of star, boulder, plate, and brain coral. This 75m (246-ft.) Venezuelan cement freighter was sunk in 1988 to form an artificial reef after it was caught with a cargo of cocaine.
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