A Spectacular Caribbean Wreck – Reefs.com

I was reviewing some images the other day from a trip to the Caribbean, Grenada to be exact, and thought I’d share some of them once more.  This set of pictures shows a particularly attractive shipwreck I dived just off the island. Called the Shakem, this small commercial boat was quite unremarkable in her time, but she has since become something of a treat for divers and underwater photographers.  I must say, I have never seen a ship so rich in gorgonians. Now I may be showing my ignorance here, so I’d welcome being corrected, but I think the bulk of the gorgonians covering the ship might be a Diodogorgia with the larger fans being Iciligorgia.  If anyone knows – and I’m sure on this site there’ll be folk who do – please lave a comment below and help me ID these amazing specimens. As you can see, I went for the ‘persuade a diver to get in the frame’ type of photo, which is a technique I don’t always like but it does provide scale and a sense of ‘this could be you’. I did try to ascertain why this wreck was so fully covered in gorgonians, I was told it was due to currents, which makes sense I guess.  I was told that the vessel sank in 2000, which shows just how quickly shipwrecks can become valuable reefs.