Wednesday morning we ventured down to Bonaire’s most famous wreck dive, the Hilma Hooker. Despite an aggressively early start (we arrived before 7am), we were not the first divers to the site. Although, the diving at this hour is far better than a bit later in the morning when the resort boats start to show up.
Here’s a shot from 2013 with the ship under full attack:
In the summer of 1984, the Hilma Hooker had engine problems off the coast of Bonaire and was towed into the main port. Authorities became suspicious of its cargo when the captain couldn’t provide the proper paperwork, and conducted a search. 25,000 pounds of marijuana were found stashed behind a false bulkhead. The crew was arrested and the ship was impounded at the dock.
Stuck in legal limbo, with the owners not coming forward to claim it, no one was maintaining the ailing ship. As it began to take on water, fearing the ship could sink and interfere with port traffic, it was towed to an anchorage outside the harbor. As the pumps failed, it rolled to its side and sank within minutes.
It’s final resting place is the perfect depth for scuba diving!
We decided to do one more dive on the Hilma Hooker early Friday morning, to work on our “beyond the strobes” wide angle shots.
