Wreck of the Balboa

A scattered field of corroded steel plate, ribs, and machinery directly off the cruise tender pier, in 30 to 40 feet of water. The Balboa is no longer a coherent shipwreck — it was deliberately blown apart in the 1950s — but the resident schools of fish, the proximity to shore, and the easy depth make it a popular night dive when the cruise ships have left.

Access is via local dive operators only; you cannot dive it without checking in for harbour traffic. Most dive trips combine the Balboa with the Cali nearby.

things to do diving sight
A story
The Balboa was a 375-foot freighter that sank in George Town harbour in the 1932 hurricane. Lying directly under the modern cruise ship anchorage at 30 feet, it was dynamited by the port authority in the 1950s to keep it from snagging anchors, and its scattered remains became the most accessible wreck dive in Grand Cayman.