Shakem
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.
The Shakem sank in 2001 on a workaday errand, a small freighter whose cement cargo took her down near St George's, and that ordinariness is now her charm. She sits upright and largely intact, bags of hardened cement still stacked in the open holds like goods awaiting a buyer, with the wheelhouse, winches, and propeller all present for orderly inspection. Sponges and cup corals have colonized the rails, barracuda hold station off the bow, and rays pass on the surrounding sand. Divers rate her the island's best intermediate step between reef dives and the Bianca C's demands.
The moment you come for: Upright intact freighter, cement cargo still in the holds, easy layout to tour
Topography: Sand at 32 meters near the approaches to St George's
Current: Usually calmer than the Bianca C, but flow can pick up on the sand.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Depth for the full tour; confined holds are for trained wreck divers only.
Nitrox: Worth it here: profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Great Barracuda
Lionfish
Porcupinefish
Southern Stingray
Nudibranchs
Frogfish
Christmas Tree Worm
Orca (Killer Whale)
Also recorded nearby
"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)