Like many places in the Caribbean there have been at times ships that have on their face appeared to be normal cargo ships, while at the same time also being used to smuggle illegal drugs.  One such ship was the Sea Star which was eventually apprehended in Bahamian waters.  When the ship was sold through a forfeiture sale, it sold for a dollar and was eventually sunk as a purposefully sunk wreck.   It is the second largest wreck in Grand Bahama.   The person who purchased the Sea Star died in an automobile accident shortly before the sinking of the Sea Star.  If you circumnavigate the wreck a plaque with the owners name is towards the ship’s stern, near an external staircase.

As of 2015 the Sea Star has been down since 2002 or about 13   years.   It has a fair amount of coral and sponge growth upon it.  Much of the hull is in pretty good condition.  However, the stern was twisted at a right angle from the rest of the ship when a hurricane came through the Bahamas a few  years ago.   Given that the Sea Star is over 30 feet wide and its hull was made of steel it must have taken a tremendous amount of force to twist the stern as the hurricane did.

The Sea Star has become home to a significant number of reef fish.  Towards the stern there was a sizeable school of blue striped grunts.  In the holds there were a number of arrow crabs.  I also found an enormous black grouper who was well ensconced in part of the hold.

The day we dove the Sea Star there was a current.  Towards the end of the dive we ascended up the stern line up to our boat.  The current was quick enough that if you held on to the line the current would hold your body out at a right angle so we all looked like flags blowing in the wind.

For divers who like to dive wrecks the Sea  Star is a wreck worth diving.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.