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Pendernales Wreck aka Pedernales
Aruba
Max Depth: 26-30ft/8-9m
Average Viz: 91-100ft/28-30m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 4.00 by 26 divers
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Pendernales Wreck aka Pedernales is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Aruba. This dive site has an average rating of 4.00 out of 5 from 26 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 26-30ft/8-9m. The average visibility is 91-100ft/28-30m.
WWII freighter remains. US salvaged Bow 3rd & stern 3rd leaving center wreckage of torpedoed freighter.
Pedernales, located in only 25 feet of water southwest of the Antilla. The Pedernales was an American flat-bottomed oil tanker torpedoed by a German submarine in 1942. Interestingly, both the bow and stern section remained afloat after the attack, which only sank the midsection of the ship. Both sections were hauled back to the United States, refitted with a new hull, and the new ship was later used as a troop transport for the Normandy invasion.
The wreck of the Pedernales is scattered across a wide section of ocean bottom. While the Antilla is popular because of its sheer size, the Pedernales fascinates because of its profusion of life. Large schools of grunts, silversides and snappers can easily be seen on this wreck, along with Trumpetfish, Angelfish, Grouper and Squirrelfish. Poking around the wreckage, divers can also spot moray eels and an occasional octopus. On our dive, we had a fleeting glimpse of a Spotted Eagle ray gliding majestically over the wreckage.
Both the Antilla and the Pedernales lie on the protected west coast of the island. With a persistent trade wind blowing from east to west across the island, the waters over these wrecks are almost always flat calm.
youtube.com/watch?v=4uGvcQGNLh0Read the story here:
willemsubmerged.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/pedernales-the-phoenix-of-aruba/ Pedernales being towed after torpedo attack