Part of one of the wharfs
Sunday I introduced you to St Eustatius and told you how it use to be THE port for goods in the 18th century. It was so busy the land at water level, that is only a couple hundred feet wide before it hits the 100 foot cliff, had tons of warehouses and wharfs built on it to accommodate all the ships and their goods being transferred, sold, and traded.
Some more ruins
Unfortunately when the British invaded in 1781 it began a slow decline in the local trade and by the early parts of the 1800’s Statia was no longer the prevailing port of call in the Caribbean. Due to the decline the warehouses and wharfs fell into disrepair and now they sit right on the water’s edge or even up to 200 feet into the water. This means you can snorkel the old building in 10-15 feet of water.
The best spot is straight out from this wharf
I will admit that if you did not know these were buildings and docks you would simply think they are big rocks in the water, but that does not mean it is not fascinating and beautiful. There is all kinds of fish and coral growing on the old ruins and I found the most colorful spot to be straight out from the wharf ruins with 15 or so rusted metal pilings sticking 15 feet out of the water.
While you can easily snorkel the water front and ruins for over an hour, there is even more if you are a scuba diver. Check with the dive shop across the street from the National Park office and down from customs. They can arrange dives to coral reefs and several shipwrecks. Enjoy!
