Antigua Diving : Firebird Style
Following in the steps of Columbus, we made our own discoveries in Antigua
At the beginning of 2020, FIREBIRD underwent a few major repairs and upgrades in Southampton. Most of them were adjustments for high-altitude sailing, but one particular upgrade, the fitting of a second compressor, was geared specifically towards diving.
The Caribbean is infamous for being home to innumerous fascinating dive spots. And in general, Antigua does not come anywhere near the top of these lists. The island is not the most famous location for diving, facing fierce competition from its neighbouring islands. Good visibility is not guaranteed, and the island’s diving spots are predominantly shallow. You may then ask why did FIRBIRD go diving there?
Well, the short answer to that is that coronavirus-related quarantine restrictions left FIREBIRD high and dry with no other option but to wait out the quarantine period in Antigua’s English Harbour. But here we must point out that the winds were on our side and our diving experience turned out to be unique and unforgettable.
From the get-go, we knew we were in safe hands with expert diver Leigh Cunningham, who we took with us post-quarantine from his usual spot (a ten-minute walk from the UNESCO world heritage site locally referred to as Nelson’s Dockyard) to lead the FIREBIRD team in discoveringAntigua’s hidden treasures.
Leigh has extensive knowledge of the area and a rich diving history stretching over 22 years and including six dives to below 200m and a World Record for the Deepest Technical Shipwreck Dive in Sharm El Sheik in 2005. He has been described as an eccentric character and an intensely disciplined and skilled diver lurking beneath. As such, you can imagine we were excited to learn that amongst Leigh’s plans for us was one spot in the area that he was yet to explore.
Ariadne Shoals is located 12 miles to the West of Antigua and is known for being a top location for spotting barracuda and other pelagics, as well as nurse sharks. The site seats 30m below sea-level in the Atlantic Ocean with nothing surrounding it in any direction. This made for an unusual event when it came to dropping our anchor – we really had to trust our charts. Taking heed from previous experiences, we had chosen to invest in a sonar for FIREBIRD which proved incredibly useful for taking stocks of our calculations using traditional methods. After all, a true sailor must keep their skills primed for any situation, technology is not easily replaced or repaired at sea!
But it was not just FIREBIRD’s new toys that made our diving in Antigua a success. In fact, it was Antigua’s local crustaceans who really took our breath away!
Just along the West side of the island from Ariadne Shoals, we came face-to-face with the largest pod of lobsters and cast of crabs that we could have ever imagined encountering…. that was until Leigh suggested we visit a fantastically well-preserved wreck, the Wreck of Joe Young, near to the English Harbour. The engine room was packed to the gills with all sorts of crustaceans, as well as a handful of Remora fish.
The Remora is the unique ‘Sucker of the Sea’ whose hitchhiking talents brought them world-acclaim. Their intricate suction plates allow them to attach themselves to sharks, whales, turtles, manta rays and even boats! This method not only gives them a free-ride but also serves as a great means of protection from predators and front-row seat for leftovers when the larger creature has finished with their feed for the day. The Remora is able to latch on to it’s chosen taxi using its dorsal fin and without causing any harm to its host. So intriguing and impressive is the Remora that many scientists are currently conducting research into its adhesive properties which they believe could be game-changing for many different industries.
While we were ascending back to surface from the wreck, two Remoras swam up to us and started playing with us. Luckily, we were not their elected ride for the day and were able to return to FIREBIRD without additional crew members. However, with our newfound affinity to the fish, we eagerly await any new products or developments inspired by this remarkable creature!