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 — 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
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting