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The Atlantic Princess was a tourist cruise ship that operated around the Caribbean before running aground during Tropical Storm Fay in 2008.
After sustaining damage it could not recover from, it was deliberately sunk in 2009 as an artificial reef just outside Bayahibe, Dominican Republic.
At around 100 feet long, it sits shallow enough at roughly 23 feet that snorkelers and free divers can reach it, making it one of the most visited dive sites in the area.
In the years since it was sunk, the wreck has taken on coral growth and become home to a variety of reef fish throughout the structure.
I visited this site of April of 2026, and created this diving guide for you to reference!
The Dive
The wreck is small relative to the nearby St. George, and on most shipwrecks that size the dive is over quickly.
I found a staircase leading down into the hull and made the descent inside.
It was the deepest penetration of a shipwreck I had done at that point, and it was fun to do while managing buoyancy to not stir up silt.
After exploring the wreck we checked out the surrounding reef.
It was fairly beaten up, likely from the volume of divers and snorkelers the site sees regularly.
Marine Life
Endless reef fish are here, like seargeant majors, parrotfish, and chubs.
The ship has accumulated a lot of encrusting growth across most of its surface over 15+ years on the seafloor.
Diving Conditions
My Garmin Descent MK3i logged water temps between 80 and 83°F during my April dives in Bayahibe. I wore a short 3mm wetsuit and was very comfortable.
Visibility was around 50–60 feet.
Current was minimal on my dive.
What to Know Before You Go
This is a beginner-friendly dive.
The shallow max depth makes it accessible to newly certified open water divers, and you'll have plenty of air to explore the wreck several times over.
If you have an advanced and deep dive certification, consider asking your dive charter to pair the Atlantic Princess with the St. George Wreck on the same day.
The St. George is the more impressive dive by a significant margin, but the Atlantic Princess is still worth checking out!
Join my scuba diving community.
I’m Austin, a PADI Divemaster with over a decade of diving experience under my belt.
I created a free scuba diving community, where divers can connect, learn, and share their dives.
See you inside!
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