Dive Team: Matt Miller, Holly Miller, Dave Miller
Dive Date: December 13, 2015
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Balboa was a 375 foot long merchant freighter carrying lumber from Cuba. It sank in 1932. Hurricane winds and strong seas smashed her hull against the dock of George Town Harbor. As the cargo of lumber and oil washed ashore, the captain grabbed the strongbox and abandoned ship vowing he would thank God and do something beneficial if no one perished in the disaster. Making good on his promise he built a church on the waterfront. Back on the dive boat after the dive I could see the church steeple a few hundred yards away in the business district.
THE DIVE FINDINGS
It was sunny and 84 degrees. We descended to 37 feet, with 70 feet water visibility. The Balboa is more wreckage than wreck. The wreck is strewn across the sand flats of the shallow area for more than 100 yards. Abundant coral and fish life live on the rusted steel wreckage. The stern section is partially intact, the boiler room barely discernable. Matt videoed the 55 minute dive. A large hawksbill turtle swam by and a second turtle was found hiding under some wreckage. Thousands of fish including parrotfish, trumpet fish, blue tangs, wrasses, hamlets, big eyes, yellowtail snapper, butterfly fish & more were spotted. Leaving the wreck to investigate the reef we saw a beautiful blue spidery anamole and enjoyed a long swim-through cave.
great dive site and video