MV Captain Keith Tibbetts

The Tibbetts is the Caribbean's only readily divable Soviet-built warship: a Koni-class frigate delivered to Cuba's navy, bought by the Cayman government, and scuttled off Cayman Brac in 1996 with her gun turrets still aimed at nothing. Storms have since snapped her spine: the stern sits squarely on the sand while the bow leans away at a drunken angle, and the break lays her innards open like a cutaway drawing. Divers frame the forward guns against blue, wander the split, and check the hull's sponge growth for seahorses the Brac guides track. She wears a local diver's name, honoring Brac heritage.

The moment you come for: Cold War frigate with gun turrets, the storm-torn break amidships, easy recreational depths.

Topography: A Soviet-built Koni-class frigate scuttled in 1996 on sand, now broken amidships with the bow section listing.

Entry: Lies off Cayman Brac's northwest shore; dived from Brac operators and on sister-island trips from Little Cayman.

Hazards: Unstable broken structure and sharp edges; interior spaces are deteriorating: stay out of the break.

Conservation: A managed artificial reef; the collapsing midsection is off-limits for penetration.

Nitrox: Worth it here: profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).