Aruba - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 89

explore the wreck's large compartments in deeper water. Colorful sponges
and corals attract schools of bait fish, colorful angelfish and yellowtail
snappers; eels, octopus, and lobsters are there, but hiding in crevices, so
they're more difficult to spot.
Locals refer to the Antilla as the ghost ship because it seemed to disappear
when anyone tried to pursue it. The ship didn't have much history. It was a
new German freighter anchored in Dutch territory off the northwest coast
of Aruba when Germany invaded Holland in May, 1940. Aruban authori-
ties became interested in the freighter near its shore, and speculated that
the ship might be supplying German U-boats in the Caribbean. Whatever
its purpose, the Allies didn't want the ship near Aruba, and the captain
was given notice that he must surrender his ship in 24 hours. Before the
one-day grace period was over, the captain charged the boilers and flooded
the engine room. The resulting explosion almost blew the Antilla into two
pieces. Then the freighter quickly sank below the surface near Malmok
beach.
The Pedernales , a US flat-bottomed oil tanker, was hit by a German
submarine in 1942 while it was bringing crude oil from Venezuela to the
distillery on Aruba. The most damaged mid-section of the ship lies in 25-35
feet of calm water, so it's a favorite with novice divers. The forward and
rear sections of the tanker were recovered and taken back to the US, where
they were welded into a new smaller vessel that was used to transport
troops to Europe for the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Today, divers explore large pieces of the ship's crossbeams, wash rooms,
and cabins that have been covered in coral formations. Various fish, such
as groupers, trumpet fish, squirrelfish, and angelfish, feed on the artificial
reef. Peek below large metal pieces to find colorful corals protected
underneath.
TIP: The Aruba Watersports Association sub-
merged a DC-3 and an oil tanker in 30 feet of water
near the Pedernales a few of years ago. Artificial
reefs are growing up around them and will become
interesting shallow dives soon - perhaps by the time
you visit.
Between the Antilla and the Pedernales wrecks, you'll find Malmok Reef
and another wreck, the Debbie II . This is the area to photograph lobster,
eels, and stingrays against a purple and orange background. The current
is swift over the 70-foot-deep reef that features brain and leaf corals and
large sponges. Debbie II was intentionally sunk in 1992 to form an artifi-
cial reef, and the 120-foot fuel barge attracts schools of barracuda.
The wooden-hulled SS California sank in 40 feet of water when it ran
aground in choppy seas off the northeast coast about 50 years ago. As with
the site near the Boca Andicuri Natural Bridge, also off the east coast, only