Stuart and Riveria Beach are well known for their artificial reefs, as well as for a few other interesting wrecks. Enjoy this brief overview of the area, and be sure to visit as many of these wrecks as you can. Their histories are varied, and the stories they tell are truly intriguing.
Stuart
The USS Rankin, a United States Navy Attack Cargo Ship measuring 459 feet long by 63 feet across, is now part of an artificial reef resting in 95 feet of water at the main deck and 60 feet at the superstructure. The Rankin is a fun, intriguing dive, even though conditions can vary. Barracuda, Black Sea Bass, Grouper, and Amberjack now swim through the decks where brave Navy officers and enlisted men one carried out their duties.
Along with the wealth of fish that now patrol the waters surrounding the Rankin, the ship has interesting features. The canisters that once housed her anti-aircraft guns can be easily identified. She lies on her starboard side on the sand, with the ocean floor being at 130-135 feet. When you dive the Rankin, you are diving a vessel that received a battle star for operations conducted during World War II. Besides transporting vital supplies and ammunition to Okinawa, she took 5,000 marines to Beirut in 1958 and patrolled Cuba during the Missile Crises.
Some old Schooners rest in pieces off Stuart’s shores, and so does a barge. The schooners, Valentine and “Old Schooner” are both very old. Valentine sank during a 1904 gale, and lost a cargo of mahogany when she went down. She lies just 100 yards out from Hutchinson Island’s shore. The “Old Schooner” is now some ribs, and rests in front of the House of Refuge lifesaving station museum just south of Sebastian Inlet. The barge, called Draga De Arena, is also known as “Mercedes II”. It is an artificial reef just off the St. Lucie Inlet now, and is 188 feet long.
Riveria Beach
Riveria Beach is well known for its beautiful, easily accessible artificial reefs. One of the largest vessels that makes up this reef system is the Amaryllis, which was built in 1945, in Vancouver. On 1965, she ran aground during Hurricane Betsy, right in front of a hotel on Singer Island. A wrecking crew salvaged what they could, then sunk her in 1968. Today, the ship’s superstructure has eroded and only the lower deck and hull remain. Amaryllis lies on the sand in 100 feet of water just outside the Palm Beach Inlet.
300 yards to the north of the Amaryllis, lies the wreck of the Mizpah, a 1926 diesel ship just 185 feet long and 27 feet across. Once requisitioned by the US Navy in 1942, Mizpah was later sold to a Honduran banana trader. The Mizpah was opened up and the hatches were removed prior to her intentional sinking in 1968, to make her safe for divers to explore. She sits in 95 feet of water and is home to plenty of fish and colorful sea creatures.
A boat with an interesting past, the Owens, a 125 foot freighter, was once called the Eidsvag. Built in 1941, the vessel ended up in the hands of drug runners, and was confiscated by the US Coast Guard. She was renamed Owens, after the county commissioner at the time, and was sunk as part of the artificial reef in 1985. Before being laid to rest in her 80 foot deep position, she had large holes blown in her sides, through which divers can safely enter to explore her coral, algae, and gorgonian covered reaches.
For those who wish to see some really big fish, Spearman’s Barge is a fun, easy dive located in 65-80 feet of water just two miles outside the Palm Beach inlet. Plenty of colorful fish frequent the barge, which makes her a favorite for anyone who wants to capture them on film.