Diving ship wreck off shore can be very great adventure, loaded with large schools of fish, and can be very safe if you know what to watch out for and follow safe diving practices for diving around wrecks. 
 
 

On the upper Texas gulf shelf, the bottom structure is mostly silt and mud. With this in consideration, any structure becomes a hiding place for small fish in very large schools. Those animals feeding on the bait type animals congregate also around any obstruction on the bottom. The abundance of mass amounts of these fish draw fisherman and divers for harvesting the food resources. One of the best areas which the Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Rigs to Reef program keep expanding is the Area of the V.A.Fogg. After this oil tanker exploded the area has received two more liberty ships, six oil rigs laid on their side forming a star, A Conaco rig and 1000 pot ash blocks 5x5 from Houston Lighting and Power. With this collection of bottom obstruction, divers have the best site for diving within 38 miles of Freeport, Texas. 
 
 

These two pictures are of the same spot only two different days A Saturday and then the next day, Sunday. Notice that on the poor visibility how close the snapper will get to investigate. These are mostly a length of 14 inches. This part of the V.A.Fogg is near the bow in a depth of 60 feet. If you move forward in these pictures a diver will be heading towards the bow. 

The deck will be at 80 feet where the wench (as pictured at the top of this page) and a compartment open up and divers will find small black coral growing. Do not descend inside there are several large groupers of very large size which have been known to swallow divers and spit them out. 

To the right will be the large anchor chain and ivory coral growing. This is the best place for spotting the Hammerhead Sharks. The reef fish and all the snapper will vanish into the wreck. That's when you watch closely and a six to ten foot shark will gracefully glide in and out of your field of vision in a matter of minutes. It is an awesome experience which most divers will miss because of being caught up in the sheer numbers of fish. Warning be careful of the fishing line it is very thick in this area and easy to get tangled up. 

When spear fishing in low visibility divers will line up on one side of the deck and their buddy will stay behind them. the large snapper will come up from the bottom to investigate and divers will have to aim downward as they turn to look at the diver with one eye. The out stretched spear gun seems as if a small fish and a diver has to lead the fish to get a kill shot. 

The Spade fish will be in large schools above the mucky layer and can be quiet aggressive on a fish being dragged behind the diver. Watch the Spade fish and if they disappear watch for a shark coming close to investigate. 

Be sure and monitor your air supply the trill of see so many fish and being so close can cause a diver to breath the air faster. Especially if a shark is expected and the adrenal runs fast. Watch bottom time and depth, if a visibility is good divers can reach 110 feet just out from the bow where the current digs a slight trench. Do not try to carry the anchors, use a good lift bag to move it close to the ascent line. Plan to retrieve it on your next dive where that is your dive plan. 

Any time your diving these wrecks and rigs, be sure to wear a good wet suit, gloves and have two dive knives for cutting fishing line and anchor lines. There are usually 20 to 50 anchor which are hung up in the tangled mess of steel. During the summer there are usually 15 to 30 boats fishing the area. Watch for lost fishing rods and reels. We usually get one or two every time we dive this sight.

V.A.Fogg/Libery Ships/Rigs to reef Marine Park