Fun Dive in Miami, FL
We went fun diving in Miami, FL. We visited the Neptune Memorial Reef (40 ft) and the wreck of the Belzona Barge (35 ft). This video highlights everything we saw on our fun dives, enjoy!
Miami Army Tanks
Off the coast of Miami is a very interesting dive site which we simply refer to as the army tanks. In fact these tanks are the M60 Patton which was in United States military service from 1961-1997. The M60 was a technological marvel with a 300 mile range and a newly built bore-evacuated 105mm main cannon. It was succeeded only by the M1 Abrams which is still in service today. This dive site contains two of these vehicles which are still in amazing shape and a home to multitudes of marine life. Also, between the tanks lie 400 tons of limestone boulders which contain many species of coral, fish, inverts, and other curious creatures. This site which sits at roughly 50' in depth is not one any diver should miss!
Jose Cuervo Reef Dive in Miami
Located in the South Beach Artificial Reef Site, approximately 150 yards southeast of the Second Street lifeguard station on Miami Beach, this 22-ton concrete margarita bar was sunk on May 5th, 2000 during Ocean Realm Splash, nicknamed 'Sinko De Mayo.' Designed with a dive flag roof, six bar stools and a protective wall of tetrahedrons (pyramid-shaped concrete forms), the structure was intended to be the first element of the South Beach Underwater Trail.
Barracuda Reef, Ft. Lauderdale, FL-October 2014
Scuba Diving on Father's Day in Miami, Florida
This year we celebrated Father's Day underwater, enjoy!
Scuba Diving in Neptune memorial, Miami, FL
Sharks diving
Florida has the best shark diving in the United States and is one of top shark diving destinations in the world. This is because Florida offers worldclass shark diving 7 days a week year round with sharks seen on every trip. Not only does this location have large numbers of sharks but it is home to high profile species such as: Tiger, Great Hammerhead, Bull, Dusky, Silky, Reef, Sandbar, and Lemon Sharks.
Wreck USS Spiegel Grove
was a Thomaston-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. She was named for Spiegel Grove, the home and estate in Fremont, Ohio, of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.
Spiegel Grove sailed for Hampton Roads and arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, on 7 July 1956. She headed for the Guantanamo Bay area on her shakedown cruise on 26 July 1956 and returned on 15 September. The ship was in the yard during October 1956; then in November she participated in amphibious exercises off Onslow Beach, North Carolina.
Diver Bob Snyder was the first person to view the wreck of the Spiegel Grove after Hurricane Dennis skirted the Keys in July 2005. Three years earlier, the Key Largo community had rallied to sink the 510-foot retired Navy ship as the backbone of a new reef ecosystem six miles offshore.
When Snyder got close enough to see the ship, he couldn't believe his eyes. The storm had turned the 510-foot ship upright from its previous position on its starboard side in 130 feet of water.
I had to ask myself, 'Am I narcked?' Snyder would later tell a local newspaper reporter, referring to nitrogen imbalance that can sometimes make divers giddy.
Snyder and others had learned to love the Spiegel Grove with its cliff-like hull sprawled across the sandy bottom.
The ship is enormous and much larger than any natural reef structure in the Keys. In fact, at the time of its sinking, the Spiegel Grove was the largest ship ever intentionally sunk to create a new reef for divers, and it remains one of the largest ships ever scuttled for that purpose.
Almost immediately after the sinking, the ship began to attract marine life from large groupers to schools of shimmering smaller fish and colorful tropical fish. Marine scientists expect natural corals to eventually envelop the Spiegel Grove.
The Spiegel Grove is so wide that on many days, the view of the super structure will fade into a green-blue abyss. On the clearest days, the sandy bottom will be visible at a depth of about 130 feet from the surface. Mooring buoys provide convenient, coral-friendly boating tie-offs.
Castor Wreck
M/V Castor Wreck was sunk on December 14, 2001. The M/V Castor has become one of the top South Florida wreck dives. This 258 foot long is lying in 110 feet seawater and it is home to numerous massive goliath groupers, also it is a great wreck to take underwater photos.
In 1999, under the name M/V Castor, the ship was stopped on the high seas by the U.S. Coast Guard and was found to be carrying 10,127 pounds of cocaine in 200 bales hidden in a shipment of bagged sugar. The Castor was seized and the crew was arrested, eventually it became available for purchase to be used as an artificial reef.
We put the wreck of the M/V Castor on your list of “must do” Florida wreck dives and don’t forget to bring your camera!
QUICK FACTS:
Type: Wreck
Min. Depth: 60 ft. / 18m
Max. Depth: 110 ft. / 33m
Skill Level: Open Water Diver
Goliath Grouper
Facts You Didn’t Know About the Goliath Grouper:
- The goliath, Epinephelus itajara, is the largest grouper in the western hemisphere, and can reach 8 feet in length and more than 1,000 pounds.
- A 4.6-foot-long female caught at a spawning aggregation contained 57 million eggs.
- For a few weeks each year, spawning aggregations of up to 100 goliath grouper occur at specific times and locations.
- Individuals can travel 100 miles to spawn.
- Small (under 4 feet, or five to six years old) goliath grouper live around mangroves; larger adults prefer coral reefs.
- Forty percent of goliath grouper caught in Belize had mercury levels exceeding the U. S.-recommended levels for human consumption.
- These adaptable fish can live in brackish water and tolerate low oxygen levels.
- Goliath grouper can have a lifespan of up to 37 years.
- A goliath grouper’s age can be estimated using annual growth rings in its dorsal fin rays, much like those found within tree trunks
- Goliath grouper were removed from the NOAA Species of Concern list in 2006 but remain a “no take” species in the United States.
- The World Conservation Union’s Red List listed the species as critically endangered in 1994. Survival is threatened by overfishing and loss of the inshore mangrove habitat required by juveniles.
- Despite having teeth, goliath grouper engulf and swallow prey whole.
To know more information about this magnificent fish just contact us or visit our page:
Free Diving With Sharks In Florida HD
In the Atlantic coast of Florida free diving with a variety of shark species in September of 2014. It was an amazing experience and I look forward to going back soon
For booking visit FloridaSharkDiving.com
Oleta State Park from the dive boat
Our trips back in from the ocean are always enjoyable, we pass by some awesome south Florida sites, including the beautiful Oleta State Park.
Wreck Mercy Jesus
This area is a great dive, along with all the marine life you get to test your navigational skills. There are rebar stakes sticking up in the sand in between the wrecks to help guide you along.
Depending on the current you either start out on the Jay Scutti of the Merci Jesus. Circumnavigate each wreck, then take a heading and follow the stakes about 200' to each wreck.
Type: Wreck
Min. Depth: 45 ft. / 14m
Max. Depth: 72 ft. / 22m
Skill Level: Open Water Diver
Ship wreck Duane - Key Largo
THE DUANE
The USCGC William J. Duane, none simply as the Duane, is a 327ft Coast Guard Cutter that was named after the Secretary of the Treasury under President Andrew Jackson.
She was built in 1936 along with six other Coast Guard Cutters.
The Duane had a very storied career. She served patrol duty in the North Atlantic and Viet Nam.
She served convoy escort duty in 1942, served as the flag ship for Major General John O’Daniel who headed Operation Dragoon during the D-Day invasion and assisted in the sinking of a German U-Boat.
The Duane has a connection to the history of the State of Florida. She served escort duty during the Mariel Boat Lift which brought thousands of Cuban Refugees to the Florida Keys in 1980.
Her proudest accomplishments were the hundreds of lives saved during her service.
M60 Patton Underwater
One of two M60 Patton tanks underwater off the coast of Miami, Florida.
Scuba Diving In Miami Florida
Scuba Diving in Miami Florida . Take a dive in crisp blue ocean off the Florida Keys and Miami Beach
Plongée requin à Key West Floride 2017
NURSE SHARK while Snorkeling in Miami Reef
Ivancin and AJ
Spiegel Grove and Benwwod Wrecks - Dive in Florida
The USS Spiegel Grove served as a Navy supply ship in Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. At 510 feet in length, she is among the largest military ships ever scuttled to create an artificial reef. Hours before her scheduled sinking, the Spiegel Grove unexpectedly sank and rolled over onto her starboard side.
The Benwood was built in England in 1910 and sunk in 1942 when it collided with another ship. She lies between French Reef and Dixie Shoals on a bottom of low profile reef and sand in depths ranging from 25 to 45 feet.
Catch and release 250 lbs Mako Shark
Catch and release 250 lbs Mako Shark
sharkfishingcalifornia.com