The Butler Bay Wrecks...

The Butler Bay Wrecks are a huge attraction due to their excellent condition and the proliferation of colorful sponges and coral. Each wreck is intentionally placed to provide both artificial habitats for marine creatures and interesting and accessible dives. As part of our on-going efforts to preserve the integrity of the marine environment, Scubawest works closely with other private, as well as government agencies, to protect and develop these artificial reefs.

Armageddon Plain
This site was created when the remains of the old Frederiksted Pier were towed North and sunk in an area from 60' to 100'. A swim through a sunken post-apocalyptic city best describes this site. Schools of Barracuda make this site unique. Huge Grey Angels and Goatfish frequent the area. 

Coakley Bay
A 95-foot steel-hulled tug boat, that sits in 50 feet of water and is the newest addition to the Butler Bay graveyard. Hydroids have already begun to set up shop and we look forward to tracking the progress of growth as the sea takes possession of her.

Northwind
The first wreck to be sunk at Butler Bay, the Northwind has been submerged in 45 feet of water for fifteen years. A 75-foot steel-hulled tug boat, she is fully encrusted with sponges, corals, hydroids and algae and schools of tropical fish hover about the superstructure, incontrovertible evidence of the effectiveness of the Butler Bay artificial reef progra

Rosaomaira
A 177-foot steel-hulled freighter, The "Rosa" is the deepest of the wrecks at Butler Bay, sitting upright in 110 feet of water (though the deck is about 85 feet deep). The Rosa is fully intact. In fact, the crew's clothing is still hanging in their cabins! Though she's only been down about ten years, the Rosa is already acquiring significant sponge growth and its proximity to deep water allows for frequent sightings of game fish and other non-reef pelagics, in addition to the ubiquitous rays, sea turtles, barracudas and other familiar West End faces. 

Suffolk Maid
The 144-foot steel-hulled ship is a North Sea trawler which was run aground on the Frederiksted waterfront during Hurricane Klaus in 1984 and, after much effort, was finally removed to Butler Bay and sunk. The vessel sits upright in 70 feet of water. Because the superstructure was entirely removed to permit its removal from our waterfront, the Suffolk Maid permits non-overhead penetration experience for those divers not yet trained as wreck divers.

Underwater Habitat
Once upon a time there was a very expensive, very technologically advanced underwater research habitat called the Aegir sitting in a pier in Hawaii... Now its skeletal wreck rests in fifty feet of water in Butler Bay, St. Croix. Our divemasters relate the rest of this story on the dive boat, so join us for the continuing saga of "The Underwater Habitat..."

Virgin Islander
A 300-foot steel barge, the Virgin Islander sits in 65 feet of water. The gentle currents carve cavernous voids beneath the hull where giant green eels, octopuses and other secretive creatures might be discovered by the inquisitive.