Stella Maru
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.
The Stella Maru, a Japanese long-line trawler scuttled off Trou aux Biches in the late 1980s as an artificial reef, has aged into the north coast's most dependable wreck dive. The hull lies at recreational depth with its bow, masts, and deck machinery readable under a thickening coat of sponge and oyster growth. Big morays have divided up the interior spaces and greet torch beams at the openings, lionfish hover in the shade of the hull, and octopus work the debris field. Easy to navigate and forgiving of modest visibility, it is many visitors' first wreck — and a good one.
The moment you come for: Intact, easy-to-read trawler; resident morays at every opening
Topography: Japanese trawler resting on sand off Trou aux Biches, hull largely intact
Current: Calm north-coast conditions most of the year; occasional current along the sand.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Light entanglement risk around old cables; respect the no-penetration briefing.
Conservation: An artificial reef that now functions as habitat — no souvenir-taking, no prying at plates.
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
Common Reef (Day) Octopus
Giant Moray Eel
Lionfish
Porcupinefish
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★★☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting