Constellation & Montana
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
Two ships, wrecked eighty years apart, lie within a short swim of each other northwest of the Royal Naval Dockyard. The Montana, a Confederate-era blockade runner, grounded here in 1863, leaving paddle-wheel frames and an elegant bow among the coral. The Constellation, a wooden schooner that followed in 1943, spilled a cargo including cement bags, now hardened into a surreal pavement, and glassware and medical supplies that inspired the drug-ampoule plot of Peter Benchley's The Deep. At eight meters with lagoon-clear water, the pair make one long, story-rich dive that snorkelers can share.
The moment you come for: Two eras of wrecks in one swim, hardened cement cargo, The Deep connection
Topography: Sand flats and coral heads on the western barrier reef
Know before you splash
Hazards: Shallow coral heads surround the sites; careful buoyancy and prop awareness required.
Conservation: Both wrecks are protected; the scattered glassware and artifacts must remain on site.
Who you'll meet
Great Barracuda
Green Sea Turtle
Lionfish
Porcupinefish
Nudibranchs
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)