Explorers For Life: A Day Off After Diving The Hilma Hooker

Well, yesterday was my and Dona's first wreck dive. It was a blast! The Hilma Hooker is an old cargo ship that lies in 100 feet of water. She's lying on her starboard side, so her port side is clearly visible from the surface 53 feet above. It's an easy wreck to dive on because of the amazing visibility of the Caribbean Sea, it is clearly marked with buoys tethered off her bow and stern, and because it is a very intact wreck. That is, the sea hasn't decomposed it to a point where it is unrecognizable.

The Hilma Hooker is a 200 foot general cargo ship. She encountered engine troubles during the summer of 1984. She put into port at Kralendijk, Bonaire, and was soon boarded by the local authorities. She had been under surveillance for some time by drug authorities, so the inspection was more thorough than usual. They discovered a false bulkhead behind which was 25,000 pounds of marijuana. The ship was seized and attempts began to contact the registered owners. For several months the authorities tried contacting the owners to at least maintain the vessel which was being held as evidence. There was growing concern that despite efforts to keep pumping water out of her hull, she would sink in the harbour and block the shipping channel. So they towed her to an anchorage south of Kralendijk. After a couple days she began listing to starboard. The list became more pronounced over the next several days until the morning of September 12, 1984, when water began entering her portholes. She sank and now lies against a coral reef.

We descended to a point amidship on her port side. Moving down to the keel we swam forward until we reached the bow. We descended to the bottom which is exactly 100 feet. Of course, we took the opportunity to hold our dive computers on the bottom until they reached that magic 100 feet. Yippee! We then proceeded along the fore deck and peered into the cargo hold. I saw the ship's bell, and what looked like part of a capstan used to raise and lower the anchor chain. I tried to imagine the crew moving about the vessel during her sailing days as they went about their duties. It truly is a glimpse into the past.

Moving aft, we swam above the bridge and the funnel, and slowly ascended to the stern. I saw the massive screw (propeller) and rudder. We returned to our starting point, then proceeded toward shore. The nice part about diving in tropical locations such as this is you can do your three minute safety stop while swimming toward shore at around 15 feet.

Climbing out was a challenge as the surf was washing us toward the rocks. It took a bit of effort to get our fins off, stand up, watch our footing, and not get knocked over by the waves as we walked on to shore. But we did it!

After a surface interval of an hour and fifteen minutes enjoying the sunshine and +30C (feels like +41C) temperatures, we dove on the Hilma Hooker again. We followed the same plan, but this time we penetrated the wreck. That is, we entered the cargo hold with the structure of the vessel between us and the surface. This is normally a higher risk maneuver, but we were being trained by our instructor Jerry as part of a Wreck Diver Specialty course. It was an amazing experience.

Exiting at the shore turned out to be more difficult this time because the surf was much stronger. We were pounded and battered around until we staggered out. We all had bumps, cuts and bruises, but it was a day to remember! I'll post some pictures from underwater in the next couple days.

Today we took the day off from diving. After four days we felt like touring the island a bit, and doing some shopping in Kralendijk. We visited the southern-most part of the island, which made it the furthest south Dona and I have ever been.