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Charlie Brown aka CV Charles L. Brown
St. Eustatius (statia), Netherlands
Max Depth: 91-100ft/28-30m
Average Viz: 91-100ft/28-30m
Entry Type: Boat
Aquatic Life: Might See Something
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Charlie Brown aka CV Charles L. Brown is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in St. Eustatius (statia), Netherlands. The maximum depth is 91-100ft/28-30m. The average visibility is 91-100ft/28-30m.
Latitude: 17° 27.864’ N Longitude: 62° 59.648’ W
From SportDiver Planet’s 50 Greatest Dives, #21 The current is slight, but enough to attract an army of horse-eye jacks marching across the starboard side of the 320-foot-long Charlie Brown wreck, a former cable-laying ship now lying sideways in 95 feet of water off St. Eustatius’ southwest coast. At this depth, any warm-water pelagic — Caribbean reef shark, bull shark or eagle ray — might make a cameo. On your descent, thanks to dependably epic visibility, you can take in the wreck’s entirety at once. Prior to becoming an artificial reef, the vessel was made safe for penetration; along some of the passageways, light is visible throughout, so even those with limited wreck training can enjoy the experience. And with depths from 50 to 100 feet, divers of all levels can enjoy the rush. — BM
sportdiver.com/photos/planets-50-greatest-dives?c...ortId=MjEwMzc3MDk1S0en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_EustatiusFrom SportDiver magazine;
From the moment you tie up at the mooring ball, you can see the entire ship — that’s really cool,” says Hugh Teel. The Connecticut dive-shop owner returns to Statia, a satellite island of St. Maarten, regular- ly to introduce his divers to the Charlie Brown, purpose-sunk in 2003. The 320-foot-long cable-laying ship, sits at 102 feet deep, where currents regularly rush past. This makes it hard for sponges and the like to take hold — but it attracts horse-eye jacks by the dozens. It’s also why Teel is convinced that wrecks are alive. “Place your hand on the outside of any porthole,” he says, “and you can feel the ship breathing.” The life-affirming current is also reason to try penetration — to seek relief when the current is too strong. The most obvious place to start is the “highway,” a 120-foot-long passage that runs through the superstructure. Portholes placed every few feet provide a view of the surface, and serve as optional exit points. It’s like penetration without any of the risk, which is also really cool.