By Stephen Frink

20,000 divers got there ahead of me in the Kittiwake's first year on the bottom. The phrase "better late than never" occurred to me as I enjoyed my first dive to her five decks and many underwater enticements on Jan. 5, 2012.

If you haven't heard the interesting, albeit arduous, story of donation of the Kittiwake by the Maritime Administration of the United States (MARAD) to the Cayman Islands government, the preparatory process of cleaning her and making her safe for diver access, and finally towing and sinking her off Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman, read "The Anatomy of a Shipwreck: The Kittiwake in Grand Cayman".

It was a stellar day to be out to sea. The sun broke through a mid-afternoon haze just as the pirate ship approached the wreck site and fired its ceremonial cannon in salute to the Kittiwake. The helicopter buzzed just overhead, ferrying still and video cameramen who were documenting the anniversary dive. A half dozen dive boats were already tied off to one of the mooring balls that mark the Kittiwake's location. Our boat was teeming with excitement, as aboard were many key players who were involved in the massive undertaking of getting the Kittiwake to where she now rests, 60 feet below the crystalline waters near the Sand Chute dive site.

Though I'd seen many photographs and videos of the wreck already, I was not prepared for the surreal view of cruising over the massive bommies and sand channels that lie just seaward of the wreck, nor the remarkable visual of her materialization out of the blue. Our mooring ball was amidships and to the port side of the vessel, so once I could make out the shape of the boat we veered to the right, beating flippers to the stern. I wanted to get a shot of the propeller first, and as the Kittiwake is perfectly upright, the prop would be the deepest part of our dive. I am used to shooting the deep shipwrecks of the Florida Keys, like the Duane,Vandenberg and Spiegel Grove; it was a nice change to be settled into the sand taking photographs of the prop and rudder at 60 feet. That really transforms the pace of the dive, for instead of a dash to 130-feet and shooting some quick-grab shots, this mellow depth provides plenty of time to play with light and compositions while working on images of that part of the ship.

As a sponsor of the project, DAN's plaque is appropriately placed just outside of the recompression chamber room. The Kittiwake was designed to rescue sailors from sunken submarines. The ship's career lasted from the 1940s through the 1980s, and she could deploy a bell to mate with the hatch of a submarine in up to 800 feet of water. As the bell was pressurized to one atmosphere, like the submarine, ideally the recompression chambers wouldn't be used in the course of normal operations. But the safety divers did frequently train in very deep water and then go to the chambers to decompress before symptoms occurred. Actually, when the Kittiwake was mothballed, the chambers were still functional and remained so until all the electronics were stripped from them in the yard during its preparation for sinking to create an artificial reef.

The Kittiwake, to me, is a wide-angle vista. She is beginning to attract resident fish, like the horse-eye jacks commonly seen here and the tiger grouper that seemed to be cruising about in the head/shower room; but there are so many doorways, portholes, wheels and structures on this wreck, that wide-angle seems the obvious preferred optic. I knew I would have time for two dives on the Kittiwake, so for the first one I chose a Canon 8-15mm fisheye zoom on a 1DMKIV with its 1.3 crop chip. Of course, that choice brings a bit of barrel distortion typical of fisheyes, an obvious artifact with some of the vertical structures on the ship. To restore a more traditional field of view, I shot the second dive with a 16-35mm II lens on a full frame Canon 1DsMKIII. That was especially useful when shooting the mirrors in the bathroom to render the reflection of my dive model, Shelly Chenoweth.

The bathroom sinks are now gone, although it is obvious where they had been, but fortunately a few of the mirrors above the sinks were left in place. Apparently, that was a bit controversial, for the goal was to create an environment in which no one could be hurt. Some of the mirrors were already cracked, and by edict of the EPA they had to be removed, but a conscious decision was made to leave those in place that were not broken. This makes for a fantastic compositional opportunity with the diver coming in through the port doorway, reflected into the mirror. I almost got the diver and the tiger grouper both in reflection, which would have been my hot shot of the day, but the grouper is still a bit spooked by divers. However, if he continues to hang out on the Kittiwake he will be accustomed, for this wreck attracts divers by the score.

I'd love to have a schematic of the boat to fully understand exactly what I was shooting, for all I knew for sure was that there were big tanks indicating some kind of massive compressed air systems in several cabins, and huge portholes and doorways to make highly aesthetic frames for diver portraits. Color was beginning to cloak the inner surfaces of the wreck, creating a patina of hue that will only improve with each passing anniversary. Cranes, winches and windlasses, the paraphernalia of a working Navy ship, were left in place as well, all of which serve up fascinating foregrounds for wide-angle compositions. All of this occurs in the clear water of Grand Cayman, thereby minimizing troubling backscatter and making this site all the more photographically productive.

Nearly an hour into my first dive on the Kittiwake and I was just making it to the wheelhouse, conveniently situated at a depth of only 20 feet. It was a wonderfully mapped out multi-level dive, providing ample bottom time to wrap up the final set of photos of the helm and the bow on the way back to the boat. But, as good as that first dive was, it really takes a second (and more) to maximize productivity on the ship. It takes a while to work out the angles and the light, and choreograph the shoot in your mind's eye. But, at 251 feet, the Kittiwake is manageable to tour in a single dive. You won't see everything, and you certainly can't visit every cabin or compartment, but the combination of shallow depth, lack of current and perfectly upright orientation makes this one of the safest and tranquil artificial reefs I've ever dived.

Congratulations to the Cayman government and dive community for such an artfully executed shipwreck project. The Kittiwake is a wonderful addition to an already impressive dive portfolio.

Every visit to the USS Kittiwake reveals exciting changes. I was amazed at how many different creatures have taken over this strange piece of machinery as though it were the most natural thing to live in.

On January 5, 2011, after over eight years of effort by the Cayman Islands Tourist Association, Cayman Islands Government and people like Nancy Easterbrook, the USS Kittiwake was sunk on a large sand flat off the north end of Seven Mile Beach.  It had been a submarine rescue vessel and now is part of a reef building program. It was cleaned of polluting chemicals, dangerous wires and things that could snag a diver. Large holes were cut into the sides and the decks so that you can travel throughout this 251-foot-long ship and be safely close to an easy exit to open water. I was there to watch it go down, and was among the first divers in the water as it settled on the bottom almost perfectly upright.

But I am a photographer and a marine biologist. So my thrill goes beyond just the joy of swimming and floating throughout a large ship. I enjoy exploring the ever growing, brand new reef that it has become in the last seven months and will become years from now.

The Kittiwake sank as a bright white vessel. Already on the second day a large school of horse-eye jacks swam in front of the bow and cruised the area. The ship was just a large, naked navy vessel. Within a few months it become covered with thick algae and of course the fish that eat algae. By April, nooks and crannies in the chain, under decking, between gears you would find an arrow crab, banded coral shrimp or a tiny fish. One hole along the side is now home to not only an arrow crab, but also a Pederson Cleaning shrimp AND a banded coral shrimp. As a diver approaches, they all come to the opening to advertise their cleaning services, and just like any anxious salesman, the Banded Coral shrimp attacks the arrow crab and chases him completely out of the hole.

My dive buddy and friend, Christine, got my attention and made me swim half way along the main deck to show me something. I knew that it had to be good for her to pull me away from the photo I was composing closer to the stern. And good it was—it was a rare “Magnificent Sea Urchin” that I had never seen before. It is generally a deeper water animal, but here it was, tucked along the side railing of the ship—a beautiful creature, although painful to the touch!

Three types of squirrelfish hide among gears and chains. A barracuda patrols the anchor deck. Tiny worms encrust the sides. There has been a large Goliath grouper, but I missed on him this dive. Last month we all enjoyed a large school of squid that stayed near the uprights at the surface. They were a great treat to my photo class.

Even the sand here seems lush—loaded with dense patches of garden eels, a spotted eagle ray on occasion and on today’s dive lots of Cassiopea (upside-down) jellyfish and even a lobster between the ship and the sand.

On yesterday’s dive I concentrated on trying to take some interesting photos inside the ship. There are five decks and you can purchase a set of plastic guides that tell you where everything is on each deck. I wanted to see the motor room, so I checked my plastic guide and dropped into a large opening. There was ample light for me to focus and photograph something with an eagle insignia on the side. I had no idea there was such a scene in this wreck. (I may know what all the creatures are, but I have no idea what this large piece of machinery was. I will leave it to you to find and identify it.)

Since the top of the ship is only a few feet from the surface, this is a fun ship to snorkel—more about great snorkeling in Grand Cayman in a future issue of What’s Hot.

While some people try to get to the Kittiwake from shore, this is a risky proposition. It is much safer to go with a licensed dive operator. There is a mandatory $10 fee for anyone visiting the Kittiwake. Bringing this ship in was incredibly expensive, and maintaining the moorings and monitoring its safety is an on-going expense. Be sure to keep your medallion or wristband as a souvenir. For more information on the history of this wreck, go to www.kittiwakecayman.com.

I look forward to my next visit there to see what more has moved into this incredible new reef.

If you would like to photograph this wreck yourself, you can rent or purchase any level of underwater camera at Cathy Church’s Photo Centre at Sunset House Hotel

www.cathychurch.com
cathy@cathychurch.com

Read the full article in the July 2011 issue of Scuba Diving Magazine.  If you can't wait to get your hands on a copy, we recommend the Zinio digital subscription, click here.

Cover photo taken by: Elly Wray at Ocean Frontiers 

Photo by Cindy Abgarian

Night diving under a full moon on the Kittiwake - 19th Jan 2011.

Exploring the Pilot House at night. 

If the divers were not in the shot, it would be difficult to tell if the ship was underwater or not.  You have to love the crystal clear visability in the Cayman Islands.

Photos by Courtney Platt

Boat Support by: Dive Tech

You are never alone when diving The Kittiwake.  Long time residents and 'Keepers of the Ship' are the Rix family; Daddy Rix, Mommy Rix and Baby Rix.  They prefer to hang out in the air tank storage and compressor room on deck 4, midship.  On your next dive in Cayman, be sure to pay them a visit and pose for a photo with them. How can anyone resist those big eyes and that wide open smile.  We're sure you'll agree that the Kittiwake is 'juuust right'!

Please note, divers must be certified Advanced or higher to visit deck 4 or lower.

Photo by: Alexander Mustard    Taken on 15th January 2011, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

To date, 46 commercial vessels and 16 private vessels are licensed to visit the attraction, with many more expressing strong interest and expected to get the required paperwork in order and processed by the end of the month.

All licensed vessels recieve 2 full color dive slates, illustrating the wreck and to be used to help safely navigate the wreck and for those qualified, to allow them to know which areas of the wreck can be penetrated.  In addition, licensed vessels receive 3 annual(staff) passes for commercial vessels and private vessels receive 2 annual passes.

Averaging over 100+ scuba divers per day, the numbers are only expected to increase as the word gets out and for new bookings to start rolling in. CITA is urging all vessels to submit their license applications as soon as possible in order for them to start taking bookings for the busy March/April Spring Break period.