Le Dragon Wreck 2019 Project
The Wreck Site
Buen Hombre, where the wreck is located, is about 1.5 hrs drive each way from Monte Cristi. Each day the Team would load up the van and the car with the Teams dive equipment, 24 tanks weights, survey equipment, drone, geophysical equipment, plenty of food and water, petrol for the trash pumps and head off. Once on the beach, a daily routine had been established. The dredge, tail and tailgate were left on the wreck but the trash pumps which powered the archaeological water dredge were stored overnight at a locals house, which reduced some of the transportation requirements.
The sea was beautiful and warm. In fact, it is the first project where some of the Team were complaining that it was too warm, even after being underwater for up to five hours per day! This year the fish life was more varied with a batfish being located on the wreck’s site. The lionfish which were seen in 2018 were not seen which was good news. The batfish which comes from the family Ogcocephalidae (order Lophiiformes), is found in warm and temperate seas. Batfishes have broad, flat heads and slim bodies and are covered with hard lumps and spines. Some species have an elongated, upturned snout. Batfishes grow at most about 36 cm (14 inches) long. They are poor swimmers and usually walk on the bottom on thickened, limb-like pectoral and pelvic fins. Most live in the deep sea, but some inhabit shallow water like the Le Dragon site.
There was great anticipation when the Team arrived for the first dive to see what the wreck would be like. Dr Spooner took the customary first dive with Connor Grzesiak filming. There was concern that the front section of the wreck to the point of the break by the main mast step would have been covered with sand in the winter months. If this was the case like some years, then we would have to uncover over 4 meters of sand to get down to the wreck. However little had changed since the year before which was good news.
The bow was still totally buried by at least eight feet, canons two and three were completely uncovered. Cannon one was just beyond reach in liquid sand and cannons four and five were totally buried again by say four feet of sand. Due to the fact that the bow was so deeply buried it was decided that again we would not search for the figure head of Washington. This was disappointing but to uncover all that sand with the limited equipment we had would take far too long.
