Tuesday was a beautiful sunny, calm day. There were six
cruise ships docked in George Town. I went for a two-tank boat dive off Seven
Mile Beach with Lobster Pot; first Round Rock, then the Oro Verde wreck, which
was incredible.
The Oro Verde wreck (bow section)
The story, as I understand it, goes an old US Navy boat was
bought by a Panamanian company to deliver bananas (which were green when loaded
– hence green gold) to Miami. It was also smuggling marijuana (another green gold).
There was a mutiny on the boat; the crew threw the captain overboard and then
abandoned ship in North Sound. Later Bob Soto bought it for a dollar, and then in
1980 it was sunk off shore from the Ritz as an artificial reef. Hurricane
Gilbert smashed it against Paradise Reef, breaking it up and creating the most
amazing dive site.
Lobster Pot have their dive center in George Town very near
the port. Mike who runs it, and Lydon our captain were both awesome. So lucky
to be with Carolina who led the dive (and had her hands full with a wayward
diver). We saw Fin, the nurse shark asleep under an overhang, Wanda, the huge
Nassau Grouper, an eel swimming in the open water (very unusual), some
stingrays, millions of fish. So colorful.
Carolina checking out Fin (we didn’t wake him up)
surprised Parrott fish
