South Hole Sound, Little Cayman, Ilhas Cayman

Soto Trader Wreck

The Soto Trader is the principal wreck dive on Little Cayman's south side, a 36-metre coastal cargo vessel that sank in 1975 after a fuel explosion. The wreck rests in roughly 18 metres of water on the sandy bottom seaward of South Hole Sound. After decades on the bottom and several major hurricanes, the hull has broken into recognisable sections — bow, midship and stern — scattered across a debris field, all heavily encrusted with sponges, corals and gorgonians. The wreck has fully integrated into the reef ecosystem and supports a strong community of green moray eels in cracks in the hull plates, schools of yellowtail snapper, schoolmaster, sergeant majors, queen and French angelfish, blue tangs, midnight parrotfish, hawksbill turtles, southern stingrays cruising the sand around the wreck, the occasional Atlantic spadefish, and Caribbean reef squid hovering above the debris. Visibility on Little Cayman's south-side reefs commonly exceeds 25 metres, especially during the calm dry season from December to May. The wreck is a popular second dive and a rewarding night dive.