Antilliaanse dames van formaat: duiken op de wrakken Antilla en Jane Sea
Plaatselijk spreekt men over het spookschip. Antilla of soms Antila genaamd betekent letterlijk: Antilliaanse vrouw. Deze grote Duitse vrachtvaarder (indertijd gloednieuw, gebouwd in Hamburg in 1938, 4364 ton) heeft men laten zinken in 1940 toen de Duitsers Nederland binnenvielen tijdens WO II. Een verslag daarvan: “In early May 1940, the German freighter Antilla anchored in the Dutch waters of Aruba, while a chain of events is unfolding in Europe. May 10th, German paratroopers landed in Rotterdam and De Hague. Fieldmarshall von Rundstedt Army corps cuts thru Holland and Belgium into France. Queen Wilhelmina fled to England. The Dutch Army surrenders four days later. Holland is at war with Germany and thousands of miles across the Atlantic, the tranquil island of Aruba is soaked into it. Unbeknown of the events taking place in Europe, the German freighter Antilla (supporting German U boats) was caught in Dutch waters. A flotilla of the Dutch Navy warships surrounded the Antilla. The Dutch served a 24 boarding notice to the Antilla and in response, the commander of the Antilla, Captain Schmidt, gave the order to scuttle the ship. The captain ordered the boilers to be supercharged and then flooded her engine compartment, causing an explosion that almost ripped the ship in two. Captain Schmidt and 46 crewmembers disembarked in lifeboats as several explosions ripped holes in the hull of the Antilla, causing her to sink into the shallow waters. Several days after their capture, as they were transported to a prisoner of war camp on the island of Bonaire, Captain Schmidt and his crew saw the remnants of their once proud ship sticking out of the ocean.”
Het wrak van de Antilla is nu een grote trekpleister voor duikers en snorkelaars. Het is het grootste wrak in de Caribische Zee (maar liefst 133 m lang) en is door de grote compartimenten ideaal om van binnen te bekijken. Het wrak is bedekt met sponsen en koralen en wordt omgeven door tal van tropische vissen (vooral maanvis en geelstaart-snapper). Bovendien is het een ideale plek voor nachtduiken. Dit komt vooral omdat het schip nog met een gedeelte boven het water uitsteekt. Het diepste punt ligt op ongeveer 20 meter. Door de grote open vrachtruimen en machinekamers is het mogelijk om van voor tot achter door het hele schip te zwemmen. Een ooggetuigeverslag: “Laying just south of Arashi Reef, the 130m-long (400-ft.) The wide compartments make diver penetration easy. It's one of the island's most popular dives, though, so you may have to wait in line to have your photo taken in the captain's bathtub. Covered by giant tube sponges and coral formations, the 18m-deep (60-ft.) ghost ship is swarmed by angelfish, yellowtail snapper, silversides, moray eels, and the occasional lobster. Octopus, sergeant majors, and puffers can also be spotted.
Straight west of Barcadera Reef at a depth of 27m the Jane Sea wreck (Jane C ??) rests in a thick grove of star, boulder, plate, and brain coral. This 75m originally Venezuelan cement freighter was sunk to form an artificial reef after it was caught with a cargo of cocaine. Completely blanketed with hydroids, fire coral, and encrusting sponge, the anchor chain is completely rigid. The ship's sides are orange with cup corals and home to French and queen angels. Keep your eyes peeled for barracudas, green morays, lobsters, tropicals, and gorgonians, and watch your head when entering the radio room and mess hall.
Exciting dive. Cargo ship standing upright in sand. Bow is in 65 feet and stern is in 94 feet. Wreck is 250 feet long. Remark: the chain is hooked throughout the coral reef. Discover the huge cargo spaces. Often visited by barracuda, manta rays and even turtles. Strong currents sometimes occur therefore definitely an advanced dive.
This is a wide-angle shot of the Jane Sea, sitting upright in about 90 feet of water. This former cement carrier sports a wide-open hold that can be entered without lot of danger. At the stern (the backside) is the galley (kitchen) and other facilities that can also be entered. The propeller and rudder are intact and massive.
DiveDiveDive met duikschool advanced scuba diving