CATHELEY H - Sandy Island
The Catheley H isn't some ancient galleon, but we love it for its unintended drama. Sunk in 1993, this motor vessel was actually meant for scuttling but decided to catch fire and go down on its own terms. It’s a shallow dive, just 13 metres, which makes it perfect for a long bottom time, easy navigation, and great light penetration. What you get is a really approachable wreck, lying upright and mostly intact on a sandy seabed. Sunlight dapples through the superstructure, illuminating schools of tiny silversides that shimmer around the bow. Our favourite part is the engine room, easily accessible, where you'll often find a shy moray eel peeking from a pipe. Look closely and you'll spot sergeant majors defending their purple egg patches on the hull, while schools of snapper drift lazily overhead. It’s a fantastic site for newer wreck divers or those who just want a relaxed dive with a bit of history and plenty of fish.
- Location
- Sandy Island, Anguilla, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 18.211027, -63.092970
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 13m
Marine Protected Area: Little Bay
Nearby Dive Sites in Sandy Island
- Baleine de Gros Ilet - 17m
- Banc Médée - 7m (pinnacle)
- Basse Espagnole - 14m (reef)
- Carib Cargo (Wreck) - 20m (wreck)
- Caye verte - 17m (reef)
- Charly shoal - 17m (reef)
- Chico 1 - 19m
- Chico 2 - 19m
- Chico 3 - 19m
- Circus - 18m
- Coralita - 17m (reef)
- Cow and calf - 16m (pinnacle)
- DIANA V - 1m (wreck)
- DOOSTER-DEB - 0m (wreck)
- Fish Bowl - 19m
Nearest Dive Centres to CATHELEY H
Marine Life in Sandy Island
Home to 297 recorded species including 247 reef fish, 13 hard corals, 10 other, 6 whales & dolphins, 5 crabs & lobsters, 3 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Harlequin Brittle Star (Ophioderma appressum)
- Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans) - Hard Corals
- Spinyhead Blenny (Acanthemblemaria spinosa) - Reef Fish
- Rusty Goby (Priolepis hipoliti) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Goldspot Goby (Gnatholepis thompsoni) - Reef Fish
- Sheephead (Microspathodon chrysurus) - Reef Fish
- Sharpnose Pufferfish (Canthigaster rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Spiny Brittle Star (Ophiocoma echinata)
- Yellowhead Wrasse (Halichoeres garnoti) - Reef Fish
- Island Goby (Lythrypnus nesiotes) - Reef Fish
- Slender Filefish (Monacanthus tuckeri) - Reef Fish
- Slippery Dick (Halichoeres bivittatus) - Reef Fish
- Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor) - Reef Fish