ELCO - Antigua South Coast
Okay, so the ELCO is a bit of a departure from your typical Antiguan reef dive. This dredger, scuttled back in '89, sits right in the shallows, making it more of a snorkel or very, very shallow dive site. We’re talking a meter or less of depth here, so leave the heavy gear on the boat. What you get instead is a fantastic opportunity to really poke around the superstructure, which still has some decent integrity despite the years. Small fish dart in and out of the metalwork, and we've seen everything from juvenile snapper to tiny crabs making homes in the nooks. It's an ideal spot for macro photography, or for less experienced snorkelers to get a feel for exploring a wreck without any depth concerns.
- Location
- Antigua South Coast, Antigua & Barbuda, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 17.060000, -61.677223
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 1m
Marine Protected Area: Devil's Bridge
Best Time to Dive in Antigua South Coast
The warmest water temperatures in Antigua South Coast occur in January, averaging 27.2°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.2°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.2°C (air: 25.5°C)
- February: 27.2°C (air: 25.3°C)
- March: 27.2°C (air: 25.6°C)
- April: 27.2°C (air: 26.3°C)
- May: 27.2°C (air: 27.4°C)
- June: 27.2°C (air: 28.1°C)
- July: 27.2°C (air: 28.1°C)
- August: 27.2°C (air: 28.3°C)
- September: 27.2°C (air: 28.2°C)
- October: 27.2°C (air: 27.8°C)
- November: 27.2°C (air: 26.9°C)
- December: 27.2°C (air: 26.1°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Antigua South Coast
- Andes (Wreck) (reef)
- Andes (Wreck) (wreck)
- Andes Wreck - 8-20m (wreck)
- Cades Reef (reef)
- Cades Reef - 5-25m (reef)
- CHRISTIANA - 13m (wreck)
- DELORIS - 1m (wreck)
- Horse Shoe Reef (reef)
- JETIAS (POSSIBLY) - 2m (wreck)
- Middle Reef (reef)
- Mill Reef Club (reef)
- NORMA J - 2m (wreck)
- OKAVANGO - 35m (wreck)
- ST JOHN'S - 11m (wreck)
- Sunken Rock - 12-35m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to ELCO
- Antigua Scuba School
- Divecarib - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Antigua South Coast
Home to 234 recorded species including 201 reef fish, 7 other, 5 whales & dolphins, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 hard corals, 2 sea urchins.
Notable Species
- Dorado (Coryphaena hippurus) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Longspine Squirrelfish (Holocentrus rufus) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) - Reef Fish
- Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) - Reef Fish
- Butter Hamlet (Hypoplectrus unicolor) - Reef Fish
- Mottled Conger Moray (Enchelycore nigricans) - Reef Fish
- Key Worm Eel (Ahlia egmontis) - Reef Fish
- Flamefish (Apogon maculatus) - Reef Fish
- Bastard soldierfish (Myripristis jacobus) - Reef Fish
- Sharpnose Pufferfish (Canthigaster rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Caribbean Chestnut Moray (Enchelycore carychroa) - Reef Fish
- Lizardfish (Synodus intermedius) - Reef Fish
- Rosy Blenny (Malacoctenus macropus) - Reef Fish
- Slate-pencil Urchin (Diadema antillarum) - Sea Urchins
- Goldspot Goby (Gnatholepis thompsoni) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne) - Reef Fish
- Slippery Dick (Halichoeres bivittatus) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for ELCO
Based on average water temperature of 27.2°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 27°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories