2009 World Dive Guide - Bermuda

Bermuda Somewhere in the annals of sailing, there's a journal entry about a man's time at sea, dealing with storms, pocky food, numbing work, crowded conditions and all the hardships of a life afloat. And in this journal — after weeks of water on the horizon, of hard tack and diminishing rum stores — an island appears, with pink-sand beaches, quiet coves, fresh water, perhaps women, but most certainly and definitely land. Haven. But such an idyllic vision doesn't come without running one final gauntlet — a lovely, siren-like barricade of ship-eating reefs. If you're unlucky, the Atlantic is angry, and despite the best efforts of all aboard, you'll hear and feel the one sound that rises above the scream of a storm: the hull of your ship being torn. And this is the story of Bermuda. A realm of civility surrounded by more than 400 shipwrecks that date back to the beginning of sailing exploration. Oh, of course, there's land, rum, soft beaches, tea and taverns. But divers find their way here to listen to the stories of stilled voices and to explore ships that ran blockades during the Civil War, steamers that plied the sea of commerce and vessels whose maiden voyages were spoiled. It's the human drama — in its most-primary sense — at sea that makes Bermuda's haunted waters so alluring. Every quadrant of Bermuda has famous wrecks. Off the northwest coast, explore the stretch of wrecks between the North Carolina and the Lartington; off the southwest coast, don't miss the Mary Celestia or the Hermes; on the southeast coast, don't miss the Rita Zovetta and the Pelinaion; and off the northeast region, the Iristo and Cristobal Colon will make great notations in your logbook. At the end of the day, sit for a proper English tea looking out over one of Bermuda's famous manicured gardens, then head out later to one of Bermuda's authentic taverns to swap stories over your favorite pint.