07 – 2010 – Beveridge Reef TOPSIDE & UNDERWATER
Click on any photo below to enlarge it, click it a second time to make it as large as possible. Click the back button to return to the album you were visiting.
-
-
We left Palmerston Atoll with fond farewells and memories. Beveridge Reef would be a bit of a navigation challenge as it is 3 feet high, 2 miles North to South and about 3/4 ths of a mile wide. THAT’S IT. A unspoiled reef in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t until the last 20 years or so that it’s exact position was correctly charted.
Visions, Curious, Bubbas, Na Maka and we crept along slowly in the morning light just before arrival. For those of you who have more interest in Beveridge Reef, I refer you to the following link:
http://www.cruiserlog.com/wiki/index.php/Beveridge_Reef
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacifc
-
-
Yes that’s right s/v Bubbas. Though now Australian, she was purchased from the first owners in the Southern USA. It’s a long story. With modern navigational aids, we were able to find the entrance to this open ocean reef system, unspoiled by man. Discovered in the age of sail by the ship “Beveridge”, prior to the 1990’s rarely visited due to many vessels coming to grief here. We were hopeful a diving paradise might exist. Hopes were dashed and met as you will soon see…..
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacifc
-
-
The entrance was easy to find with our modern navigation aids and four boats on the lookout. We arrived to find three other boats already here a day ahead of us. We then had, Beach House, Na Maka, Visions of Johanna, Bubbas, Curious, Pakia Mist, Fly Aweigh and Mary Powell. 8 boats at an isolated reef system in the middle of the world…go figure. You can see from the photo that it appears we’re still out in the middle of the ocean as there is NO LAND here at all.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
This is a Niueanan Fishing vessel that had been lost on the east side of the reef. We dinghied over to it from our second (more comfortable anchorage spot). About 60 feet in length, she was a “long liner”. We don’t know the circumstances of her loss. We had a big disappointment with our first attempt at diving on the outside of the pass the day before, but we would quickly find really nice reef/fish and coral on the inner eastern shore.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
We anchored the dinghy in 5 feet of water and with full “rubber gear” felt it was okay for me to brave aboard. Cindy snorkeled around the wreck while I went aboard for some photos. The closest islands were Niue (130 mile to the west) and Palmerston (225 miles to the east). Not exactly a Freeway!
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Here you can see Cindy snorkeling around the wreck. I’m aboard with the current and surge from the waves breaking over the shallow reef only 100 yards away.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Cindy stands along side “Liberty” in very shallow water to give you a perspective of the wreck. From her condition, we suspect she had gone up within the last few years.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
She was a pretty “bare bones” no nonsense work boat. No frills or amenities. Our dinghy lends some perspective on the right side of the photo.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
A wreck always has a story, mostly sad. The outer east side reef is in the background.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
This is the “long line reel” aboard m/v “Liberty”. These reels have up to over a mile (on a small vessel) of fishing line that hooks are placed on every several meters. These can catch an incredible amount of fish and often lots of “by catch”. By Catch is stuff that was not intended to be caught like sharks, manta ray, etc.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Long deserted and stripped, you can feel where the crew was when disaster struck.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
The swell was as calm as we’d seen in days on the outer reef. This made our journey to m/v “Liberty” a relatively easy one. The next day, the swell came up and the current was dramatically stronger.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Weather Windows (an opportunity to go somewhere by sail when the weather cooperates) are a wonderful and important thing when visiting a place like Beveridge Reef. If the wind and sea are high, most boats who wanted to come here sadly must press on. You can see the west side rocks with breaking waves on them beyond the boats. Our three days here were exceptionally calm. Our last was all by ourselves! Pretty weird in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to have a place like this all to yourself. At high tide, the anchorage (especially by the entry pass) could be like a washing machine. At low tide, it was like being in a marina! You could easily tell what the tide was doing here at Beveridge Reef.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
When we went along the outside of the WEST reef, we were remarkably disappointed as the coral was all dead. We suspect this was due to Cyclone activity, especially the recent Cyclone Pat that effected Aitutaki or perhaps Cyclone Sara. When we dove on the inner EAST reef’s shallow waters, a coral garden appeared.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Huge coral structures with very clear water in extraordinarily fabulous shape were the hallmark of the east reef. This is in depths between 5 and 18 feet.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
The reef fish were exquisite. The colors jumped in the clear pristine waters of the deep South Pacific.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
The water was decidedly cooler here at Beveridge, our most southern stop this season. It is also the Southern Hemisphere’s mid winter. These guys usually don’t flourish in “hot” tropical conditions. Water temperature around 78 degrees F.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
The hard coral structures were diverse and in fabulous shape. A mere mile to the west, the coral was all dead.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
The further west we would go, the more we would start to see “soft corals”. Beveridge did not yet show us any, nor would we expect to yet see it here due to the cooler water. Convict Tangs (yellow fish with the black stripes) were in abundance.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
We found evidence of two other ship wrecks. This one we found when we were dinghy-ing over it’s chain. We called it “Old Wreck”. It appeared to be from the early 1900’s or perhaps even earlier? We have no identification on it, but found both it’s anchors (one in the surf line), this large section of chain and many, what appeared to be, old steam engine parts. At least the era of the “Seeadler” which we found in Mopelia. She went down in 1917.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Me with unknown pieces found a 150 yards inside the surf line.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Hard coral found a new home.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
It’s obvious from the way the chain laid out, that this unfortunate vessel tried in vain to stop herself from the inevitable destruction that occurred when she was filleted by the unyielding reef.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Engine or Winch Parts?
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
Engine gears? Whatever it was, it’s been here a LONG time.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
This was one of two anchors from the second wreck. Located 1/2 way inside and on top of the reef, this wreck was about 300 yds south of the “Liberty”. Her other anchor was seen awash on the outer reef. I was able to snorkel it the first day, but not the second as the surf had come up and created a huge current. It took all I had to get to the inner anchor on this day which I did by following the wreckage trail out toward the second anchor from the chain inside the reef. Cindy passed!…She was smart too.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
A stack type piece from the “old wreck” we found 300 yds. south of the wreck of “Liberty”.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
This was most likely another fishing vessel came to grief at Beveridge Reef. Clearly more modern, we could again not really tell it’s exact age. But we found modern refrigeration equipment in the debris field, so less than 50 years would be an educated guess.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
We found this wreck by accident, right off the bow of where we moved “Beach House” the second day for comfort. Essentially on the southeast corner of the inside of the reef.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
This seemed to be refrigeration equipment, either for the ships galley or more likely the deep freeze to place the catch in.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
A pretty large unit. We did not see anchors, chain or any evidence of the hull. We also did not try and go to the outside of the reef at the southeast corner which would have been impossible to get to from the inside. We’re quite sure there is “stuff” out there, we just weren’t going to risk life and limb to get to it. In this photo we are inside the southeast corner of the reef in less than 10 feet of water.
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
If you look closely, you’ll see the US brand, “Carrier” printed on this compressor head. Can’t be too old…
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific
-
-
We’d wanted to come here for a few years. In the end, we weren’t disappointed. In just two days we’d found three ship wrecks! If we had more time (bad weather coming), we could have explored the entire reef and who knows what we might have found? We know there are several more wrecks scattered around the reef. With modern navigational instruments, hopefully Beveridge will have seen it’s last victim.
Next stop, the island nation of Niue only a day night sail to the north, northwest. We hear they have some interesting sea snakes to dive with and perhaps???? some humpback whales. Stay tuned, see you soon, enjoy!….Scott and Cindy
Beveridge Reef – South Central Pacific