The USS Kittiwake is one of the best-known wreck dives in the Caribbean. Its convenient location in the sea close to Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, and shallow depths, make it a popular site among scuba divers, both novice and experienced. The Kittiwake Wreck is a submarine rescue ship, which was deployed towards the end of World War II. The wreck has some scuba diving history as well, with the open-water deep-diving record for the Navy set when Clyde Prickett descended to a record-breaking 152 meters/499 feet aboard the Kittiwake in 1949.
After years without real purpose, the Kittiwake was bought by the Cayman Islands and sunk in 2011, where it now sits beneath the waves of Grand Cayman. The pristine wreck now acts as an artificial reef for divers to explore. Scuba diving the Kittiwake Wreck is great from the dive resorts and dive centers of the area, or if you intend to see more of the Cayman Islands, discover Kittiwake via liveaboard.
Before the Kittiwake was sunk in 2011, the ship was made both environmentally and dive-friendly. This means that large holes were cut into the hull to create simple swim-throughs for divers to enjoy and many doors, hatches, bulkheads, and floors were removed to provide a spacious and fascinating wreck dive.
Divers can enter the Kittiwake Wreck via the ship's smokestacks into a light-filled room on the bottom deck. From here, you can begin to explore all levels of the ship from bathrooms with showers, where you can grab a picture pretend-bathing, to the diving bell, recompression chambers, and water cannon. Many dive centres provide the opportunity to gain wreck diving certifications while scuba diving the Kittiwake Wreck, which has been perfectly designed to achieve optimal diver satisfaction.
Kittiwake Wreck diving takes place on the leeward side of the island, where conditions are the calmest on the Cayman Islands. Calm conditions mean that the Kittiwake Wreck is possible to dive all-year-round. However, divers should note that the Cayman Islands can experience hurricanes between June and November and weather can often be unpredictable.
Being the Grand Cayman’s most popular wreck dive, the site can also experience some ‘traffic’. To avoid this, it’s best to charter early in the morning or late afternoon when fewer divers are plunging into the crystal clear waters. While liveaboards allow the most convenient access to the wreck outside of peak times.
The Kittiwake, sunk to become an artificial reef, has definitely become one. Garden eels thrive in the sand surrounding the wreck while southern stingrays and eagle rays are attracted to the area searching for their next meal. A number of macro critters can be found living on the ship's structure itself, from peppermint shrimp, fireworms, arrow-head crabs and banded coral shrimp.
The larger creatures patrolling the wreck are great barracuda, schools of horse-eyed jacks, turtles and even a semi-resident goliath grouper. Huge parrotfish and moray eel can also be found hiding in the ships many circular openings. So, if you have decided that wreck diving is not for you due to the lack of marine life, scuba diving the Kittiwake Wreck will make you think again.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 25
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 27
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 100
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 80
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 90
