Doc Poulson Wreck

The Doc Poulson Wreck is a Grand Cayman dive site named for a notable figure in Cayman Island history — a vessel scuttled in honour of or associated with this name that now rests on the Cayman seafloor as an intermediate-level wreck dive. Grand Cayman has actively cultivated its artificial reef programme through deliberate scuttlings over the decades, and the Doc Poulson is one of the vessels that contributes to the island's diverse wreck diving offering alongside the famous Kittiwake and other deliberately sunk ships. The wreck rests at an intermediate depth, providing a comfortable exploration environment for divers who have progressed beyond the basic certifications and are developing wreck diving skills. The vessel's profile remains largely intact, allowing the three-dimensional layout of the ship to be understood and navigated in the way that coherent wreck form requires. The deck fittings, hull structure, and main internal spaces all offer different perspectives on the wreck and its accumulated biological colonisation. Biological growth on the Doc Poulson has developed with the characteristic trajectory of a Grand Cayman artificial reef — the warm, clear water supporting rapid colonisation by sponge communities and the subsequent fish assemblages that congregate around encrusted structure. Grouper have claimed the interior spaces. Schools of snapper orbit the wreck in the open water above. Moray eels occupy the expected crevices. And the encrusting sponge community on the outer hull surfaces, while younger than those on the longer-established Cayman wrecks, is advancing through its succession toward the dense, colourful coverage of a mature artificial reef. For divers working through Grand Cayman's extensive wreck diving portfolio, the Doc Poulson offers the combination of historical-personal significance and accessible intermediate conditions that make it a worthwhile addition to a week of Cayman diving. Its position within the broader Cayman wreck diving scene — alongside the more famous and more heavily visited Kittiwake — makes it a site that rewards divers who seek out the complete picture of what Cayman's underwater heritage contains.