wreck

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Wreck Ancon

We’ve always had a soft spot for the Ancon, partly because it’s just so accessible from Varadero’s main strip. You’ll head out a little past the Santa Marta inlet, and then it’s straight down onto a fantastic little freighter, sunk intentionally back in the 80s. She sits upright, about 100 feet long, with the deck around 20 metres and the deepest point hitting closer to 30. What we love about the Ancon is how open she is. Penetration is relatively easy and safe, especially through the cargo holds, which are now completely colonised by schooling fish. We’ve seen tarpon cruise through these holds, and the light streaming in through open hatches creates some genuinely dramatic scenes. Our favourite spot is always the wheelhouse; it’s largely intact and you can often find glassy sweepers schooling inside, shimmering in the torchlight. Outside, expect to find plenty of grunt and snapper sheltering among the superstructure, and the occasional moray eel peeking from a crevice. It’s a great wreck for divers who enjoy exploration without extreme challenges, offering a good balance of history and reef life. We’d suggest going early in the morning to beat the crowds and catch the best light.