Bailey Bridge

History: Developed in the early 1940s by the British military, Bailey Bridges were used to move troops and vehicles over streams and rivers. They were lightweight enough to be moved around by a group of men without the need for a crane. They provided temporary crossings and could even support small tanks.

At this site, you will see two bridges at about 27m, a barge at 32m, the front end of an LCM, and several other pieces of discarded equipment. Having a look around these structures can reveal nudibranchs, lionfish, and the occasional octopus. Extend your bottom time by ascending the coral reef behind the bridges from 25 up to 17 meters. It’s usually rich in marine life. Visibility at this site averages 3-10 meters.

Barges

Highlights: During the Vietnam Conflict, US Troops used Grande Island as a Rest and Relaxation (R&R) point. At the end of the conflict, it was used as housing for Vietnamese refugees waiting to transfer to the States. To make it easier to get personnel on and off the island, a floating pier was assembled from a series of barges. They have all long since sunk and have been strewn about across the bottom by storms throughout the years.

Due to its sandy bottom and shallow starting depth, the site makes for a great training location for Open Water, Advanced, Deep and Wreck courses. Since there are so many nooks and crannies among the barges, so there are always plenty of fish to see and photograph. The visibility is usually quite good around at 7-12m but can get up to 25.

Beer Barrels

History: When diving on Beer Barrels, don’t get your hopes up reading the name, there is no beer in the barrels… We’ve checked! The site is a series of large barrels in a sturdy cage, approximately 50m long, with one side being concave with pads. Although we don’t know the exact purpose of this structure, it looks to have been used as part of a floating drydock for submarines. Purely speculating, but several of these could easily fit under a submarine to lift it out of the water by filling the barrels with air.

Beer Barrels has been home several species of fish over the years to include giant frog fish, snapper, trumpet fish, sweet lips, lionfish, scorpion fish, and a few species of nudibranchs. It makes for a great macro photography site. Visibility can be from 5-15 meters on the site.

Cage and Barrel

History: Yet another site of unknown origin, Cage and Barrel has no available information as to what it was or how it got there. As you descend on this site near Grande Island, you will see a metal frame (Cage) beside what appears to a large ship’s bumper (Barrel) and a small barge. Whip corals have grown all over and become home to many small fish. Head east from the site for about 3-4 minutes and you will run into a 10m wall that connects to the island. Passing up and over that wall and heading further east for 8-10min runs you into the Barges dive site.

M3 Half-Tracks (x2)

History: Designed and produced in WW2 by the US Military, the M3 Half-Track was used in various roles and had several different variations. As the name suggests, half of the vehicle (rear) was tracked while the other had wheels for steering. It was a work horse and used as self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft among others, through heavy terrain. They saw duty in WW2 and the Cold War in South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

We don’t know where these two half-tracks came from, as no one has ever found any record of them. They sit upright about 9 meters apart with a heavy cable off to one side suggesting that they were lowered into the water, possibly scuttled to keep them out of enemy hands. They are both outfitted with 75mm Howitzer guns. There are always schools of fusiliers on them as well as a few species of cleaner shrimp. The occasional eel can be seen as well. Visibility usually ranges from 3-10 meters on this site.