COOPERS BARGE

This 100 foot long barge was sunk in 1972. Photo by Chip Cooper.

This barge wreck, nicknamed Coopers Barge, was sunk in 1972. Although an attempt was made to salvage this completely intact sunken barge, the operation resulted only in accidentally relocating the barge to deeper water. The Barge can be found directly in front of the desalinization plant on Bonaire, and this dive can only be done when a tanker is not off loading fuel. To find the 100 foot long wreck, you have to tie up to the southern most mooring and then swim about 100yards north. She is sitting in deep water, 130 to 140 feet.

   HESPER

The Hesper was a 40foot long, wood sailboat that had been purchased by Captain Don of Captain Don's Habitat for 300 gilders, or about 150 American dollars. She was moored in front of the Habitat, undergoing a complete overhaul that included a new mast when Hurricane Gilbert ripped past the area. After the storm, the Hesper was gone. She is now lying in 130 feet of water on a sandy bottom.

     HILMA HOOKER

The Hilma Hooker was a 236 foot long cargo vessel weighing 1,027 gross tons registered in San Andres, Columbia. She was originally named the Midsland when she was built in Holland in 1951. The vessel was later renamed Mistral, William Express, Anna,  Doric Express and finally Hilma Hooker.

The Hilma Hooker ran into some mechanical rudder difficulties while passing the island of Bonaire. She was taken in tow and brought to the town pier, where customs immigrations officials decided to search her after discovering that she carried no papers. It was soon learned that the FBI had been tracking the vessel by satellite on the suspicion that she was transporting illegal drugs. What they found on the Hilma Hooker was over 25,000 pounds of marijuana hidden behind a false bulkhead. The marijuana was confiscated, taken out of town and burned.

The Hooker remained tied up to the town pier for months while officials tried to locate the vessel's owner. After a while she was moved and moored just offshore. Her hull, which was not in the best condition, began to take on water, and her pumps eventually gave out. On the morning of September 12, 1984, at approximately9:00 AM, the vessel rolled over and sank.

Not too long after her sinking, local dive operators got together and took actions that made the Hilma Hooker a safe wreck for sport divers. They opened doors, cut cables, and drilled holes into the wreck's port side. The holes provided a way for air, generated from divers breathing on scuba to escape. This was done so no one would be tempted to remove their regulator while in a trapped air pocket, since air in these pockets is usually oxygen depleted from the rusting steel. Al Catalfumo, owner of a local dive operation, says that he and his partner cut a cable that was holding the vessel's cargo door open; if left alone it would have deteriorated and snapped, possibly when divers were under these huge doors. Al went on to say that the door fell with such force that visibility was instantly reduced to zero as the wreck was enveloped in a cloud of sand.
 

Bow and stern of the Hilma Hooker. Photos by Dan Berg and Joe Koppelman.

The Hilma Hooker now sits on her starboard side in 90 feet of water. She is completely intact and absolutely beautiful to dive as well as to photograph. Her large bronze propeller sits in 65 feet of water. She has a stern helm which is excellent for photos and, due to the usual amount of good ambient light, wide angle photographs result in nice bow and stern shots. The Hooker has also turned into a good fish haven. Her rusting structure is refuge to all types of sea creatures, large and small alike.

As a side note, the Hilma Hooker wreck is lying just next to a coral reef. This is an ideal location because divers can spend a good amount of time on the wreck, and then slowly ascend while exploring the reef. This extends bottom time exploration, while divers are still out gassing.

        LA MACHACA

The upside down remains of the La Machaca. Photo by Chip Cooper.

This small fishing boat was originally sunk in 120 feet of water and then relocated  as a dive site and fish haven. She is now lying upside down in 33 feet of water in front of Captain Don's Habitat. The wreck is home to a large tiger grouper and a pair of black margates.

MARI BAHN

The Mari Bahn, which is Gaelic for Bonny Mary, was known for years as the Deep Schooner, or the Wind Jammer wreck. This three masted iron bark, owned by Fratelli Denegri and G.B. Mortola, was built in 1874 by Barclay, Curle and Company, Glasgow, Scotland. She was schooner rigged on the mizzen mast, fore and aft, and square rigged on the others. She was 239 feet long, had a 37 foot beam, and weighed 1,378 gross tons. At the time of her demise, she was sailing under the command of Captain L. Razeto from Trinidad to Marseille with a cargo of asphalt. The date of her sinking was December 7, 1912.


Charlie Guttilla and partners near the Wind Jammer's bowsprit. Photo courtesy Jozef Koppelman

According to photojournalist Cathy Cush, she is sunk in 200 feet of water off the northwest coast of the island, just off the old oil terminal. The wreck is too deep for sport divers to explore but is visited on occasion by experienced professional divers. Photographer Chip Cooper says that her foremast rests in 35 feet of water and points the way towards her deeper hull. She lies on her starboard side with the top of her port side in 160 feet. Her main mast and crows nest extend down to 220 feet. Photo Below: Stern of the Wind Jammer wreck. by Todd King

       TUG Wreck

This picture perfect little tug is resting on her port side in 70 feet of water. Photo courtesy Herb Segars.

This picture perfect little wreck is located directly in front of the Bonaire Scuba Center. She was originally named the Cavalier State but is more commonly referred to as the Tug. She is resting on her port side in 60 to 70 feet of water and is home to an exceptionally large moray eel. She is an excellent beach dive, and is visited by thousands of divers each year. Photographer, Herb Seagers, says the tug is resting on a sand bottom and is excellent for macro as well as wide angle shots.      

Bonaire Shipwrecks information and images taken from Capt. Dan Berg's Tropical Shipwreck book.

For more information about Bonaire visit the Bonaire Board of Tourism’s official website – www.infobonaire.com

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