Planning a trip?
Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the St. Eustatius Marine Park location page.
Overview
At 100 m (327 ft) long, the Charles L. Brown is the largest shipwreck in the eastern Caribbean — a former AT&T transatlantic cable-layer built in Naples in 1954 as the CS Salernum. Sint Eustatius bought her for one dollar, stripped her of contaminants and scuttled her on 25 July 2003 to seed an artificial reef. She lies on her side on a sand slope off the island's leeward coast: the upper hull tops out near 20 m while the bridge and bow reach 30 m, and a long swim-through runs the superstructure. Encrusting cup coral and sponges now sheathe the steel, and a resident barracuda nicknamed 'Charlie', dense schools of horse-eye jacks, cubera snapper and passing reef sharks patrol the hull.
Briefing note
All diving is within the St. Eustatius National Marine Park; a STENAPA marine-park dive tag/nature fee is mandatory and boats use fixed moorings (anchoring is prohibited). With the wreck topping out near 20 m and the bridge and bow at 30 m, plus a long superstructure swim-through, this is an Advanced-level deep dive — plan gas and no-decompression time accordingly. Hurricane season (Aug–Oct) brings surge and reduced visibility; the nearest recompression chamber is on neighbouring Saba.
What you'll see
6 species curated- year-roundGreat barracuda
- year-roundHorse-eye jack
- year-roundCubera snapper
- year-roundHawksbill turtle
- rareCaribbean reef shark
- seasonalSpotted eagle rayPeak: Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26–27 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Feb | 25–27 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Mar | 25–27 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Apr | 26–27 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| May | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Jun | 27–28 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–29 °C | 18–28 m | mild |
| Aug | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 12–25 m | moderate |
| Oct | 28–29 °C | 12–25 m | moderate |
| Nov | 27–28 °C | 15–28 m | mild |
| Dec | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Primary dive light — The superstructure swim-through and the wreck's interior compartments are dark even at midday; a torch reveals the cup coral, sponges and moray eels colonising the steel.
- Nitrox and dive computer — With most of the structure sitting between 20 and 30 m, enriched air meaningfully extends bottom time on this deep wreck while a computer tracks the multi-level profile.
Next step
Book your trip to St. Eustatius Marine Park
Hotels, liveaboards, dive operators, gear recommendations, and travel logistics for the whole region.
Plan your trip →Some links earn us a commission. Learn more