Diving in Barbados/Wreck of the Brianna H

Brianna H is an ideal introductory shipwreck dive in Barbados, as it's close to Bridgetown at an accessible depth of 15-25 m, and presents no great hazards.

The ship is a 55 m freighter built in 1965. By 2014 she was obsolete and idle, and offered for sale by her not-very-hopeful owners. On 4 Aug 2014 Hurricane Bertha passed 50 miles to the north of Barbados, with drenching rains. The ship was deluged and sank at anchor upright, fortunately with no human harm as the maintenance crew had scarpered ashore. It wasn't worth salvaging even for scrap, but from the outset it was obviously a great addition to the island's scuba diving sites.

In 2024 the wreck was disturbed by Hurricane Beryl, so earlier photos and guides are no longer fully accurate, but its essentials are unchanged.

13°6′0″N 59°37′48″W

Position of Brianne H

13.107-59.6341 Brianne H is at 13.107 N, 59.634 W just beyond the harbour breakwater in Bridgetown.

There are no tidal constraints, as Barbados is micro-tidal. The site is close to navigation channels so listen out for directions from the port authority, in case anything big is sailing close by.

The wreck is marked by a yellow buoy. Underwater visibility is typically 8-10 m so you don't see it from the surface. Fin down the rope beneath the buoy and the stern comes into view at 5-10 m down.

Overall you're seeing a 55 m x 9 m freighter sitting upright on the sand. It's relatively intact as there was no collision or explosion in its sinking, similar to a purpose-sunk wreck. It's a typical workhorse of the late 20th century, of a design later superseded by container vessels. Details of its service are sketchy, but it was built in Flensberg and launched in 1965 as Mignon. The name suggests French owners, but that shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau often made supply vessels for the West German navy. The ship was called Franz Held from 1970, Jade from 1982, and Connie from 1994. In 2009 it took its final name of Brianna H and was owned by a St Vincent & Grenadines shipping company.

Rear deck is where the buoy rope brings you, at 17 m, a comfortable depth for novice divers. The foc'sle ahead rises to 13 m.

Fore deck is dominated by the large crane: this enabled the ship to serve small harbours that lacked heavy lifting equipment.

Companionways form a scenic arcade at 20 m, the tier below the open decks.

Marine life is limited as the wreck is young. But after over a decade submerged, weed, soft coral and worms are taking hold, small fish shoal around this, and typical Caribbean larger fish come by to eat them.

Within you should only venture if trained in penetration wreck diving. There are lots of places you can snag, and confusing corridors that turn black once you stir up the silt. In the early years items such as cabin curtains, pots and pans, ship's documents and so on were on display, but these have been spirited away by souvenir hunters.

Sea bed is coarse sand at 25 m. You might drop over the bows to see the anchor chain.

Don't wander off the wreck, there's nothing out there but more sand.

There are no conspicuous hazards here. The site is suitable for low-experience divers under appropriate instruction / leadership.