USS Kittiwake

Former US Navy submarine rescue ship (76 m / 251 ft), sunk on 5 Jan 2011 off Cemetery Beach in the West Bay marine park as an artificial reef. She sits in about 19 m of water; the wreck shifted after Tropical Storm Nate (Oct 2017) and now lies on her port side, so the shallowest point is roughly 10 m. Five decks with crew quarters, a recompression chamber and ammunition lockers can be explored by trained divers, while the upper structure is also visited by snorkellers.

Facts

• Region: Grand Cayman – Cayman Islands
• Area: Seven Mile Beach & West Bay
• Depth: 15–20 m
• Level: intermediate
• Current: low
• Type: wreck
• Coordinates: 19.36197, -81.40102
• Highlights: five decks, recompression chamber, ammunition lockers, snorkel-friendly upper deck, sponges & reef fish
• Permit: No personal permit, but entry is only through a licensed dive/snorkel operator; any marine-park fee is handled by the operator (the Department of Environment page does not publish a confirmed diver fee). Touching or removing anything inside the Marine Park is prohibited. No numeric diver limit or penetration rule was found on the sources used – ask the operator.
• Issuer / contact: Cayman Islands Department of Environment
  • Phone: +1 345 949 8469
  • Email: DOE@gov.ky
  • Website: https://doe.ky/marine/marine-parks/
  • Fee and licensing as reported by Explore Cayman (tourism site); the Department of Environment is the marine-park authority. Confirm the current fee with the operator or DoE.
• Tips: Access only through a licensed operator (no swimming from shore because of boat and jet-ski traffic). A marine-park entrance fee of KYD 25 is normally included in the operator's price. Do not touch or take anything; no gloves. Penetration needs wreck training and a guide.

Sources

• https://www.explorecayman.com/things-to-do/scuba-diving/wreck-diving-in-cayman
• https://www.explorecayman.com/uss-kittiwake
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kittiwake_(ASR-13)
• https://www.divetech.com/contact