De La Salle Wreck - Nassau & New Providence
The De La Salle Wreck often gets overshadowed by Nassau's other artificial reefs, but we think that’s a real shame. We love this site for its character. It’s an old cargo ship, sunk deliberately in the 1980s, and she’s settled upright in about 15 metres, making her perfect for divers who want some time to poke around. You can actually swim through the cargo holds, feeling the cool shadow as you pass from one end to the other, often bumping into a curious school of grunts hanging out. The structure is draped in gorgonian corals, swaying gently with the surge, and the deck beams are home to some surprisingly large parrotfish, crunching away. Keep an eye out for moray eels tucked into every nook. We often spot a nurse shark or two napping under the bow, completely unbothered by divers. Our favourite time to dive it is first thing in the morning; the light filtering through the water into the holds is just something else. For photographers, the silhouettes are fantastic.
- Location
- Nassau & New Providence, Bahamas, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 25.097256, -77.358000
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Bonefish Pond National Park
Best Time to Dive in Nassau & New Providence
The warmest water temperatures in Nassau & New Providence occur in August, averaging 30.4°C (up to 34.0°C). The coolest conditions are in February at 24.6°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 24.7°C (air: 21.2°C)
- February: 24.6°C (air: 23.5°C)
- March: 24.9°C (air: 23.8°C)
- April: 26.1°C (air: 25.4°C)
- May: 27.5°C (air: 26.5°C)
- June: 29.0°C (air: 28.2°C)
- July: 30.1°C (air: 29.3°C)
- August: 30.4°C (air: 29.6°C)
- September: 30.0°C (air: 29.0°C)
- October: 28.9°C (air: 27.5°C)
- November: 27.2°C (air: 25.5°C)
- December: 25.6°C (air: 22.8°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Nassau & New Providence
- Abaco - 5-20m (reef)
- ARIMAR - 6m (wreck)
- Bahamas Divers
- Current Cut - 10-25m (drift)
- Current Island - 10-25m (drift)
- Dean's Blue Hole (reef)
- Dean's Blue Hole (wall)
- DELIVERANCE (POSSIBLY) - 0m (wreck)
- Devil s Backbone
- Dog Rocks Reef - 25m (reef)
- Egg Reef (reef)
- FANTOME - 15m (wreck)
- Glass Window Bridge - 15-30m (wreck)
- Lost Blue Hole (cenote)
- Lost Blue Hole - Bahamas - 27m (cenote)
Nearest Dive Centres to De La Salle Wreck
Marine Life in Nassau & New Providence
Home to 539 recorded species including 455 reef fish, 24 hard corals, 19 whales & dolphins, 11 sharks & rays, 9 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 other.
Notable Species
- Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) - Hard Corals
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) - Whales & Dolphins
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Finger Coral (Porites porites) - Hard Corals
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Barber (Acanthurus bahianus) - Reef Fish
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Gutong (Scarus iseri) - Reef Fish
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Gutong (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) - Reef Fish
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus) - Reef Fish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) - Hard Corals
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for De La Salle Wreck
Based on average water temperature of 27.4°C, currents 7 cm/s.
- 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